Yang Branwen Part I : Four seasons of childhood
by Kirino2-0
Summary: What if Raven left earlier? Before telling anyone about her pregnancy? Being born in a tribe of bandits cut out from civilisation have advantages and disadvantages, and Yang will handle them, support by her mother's unconditional love. But when outside dangers come to threaten her tribe, her family, who can help her? (English is not my native language, please be indulgent)
1. Chap 1 : Just a little winter

**Hello !**

**I'm so happy you take time for my fic, I worked very hard to write it! … and even harder to translate it… Yep, English is not my native language so I know my grammar and stuff are far from perfect, there's a lot of things that are a pain to translate, especially familiar words and expressions, or measurement units, but it's understandable. I think. I hope…**

**Soooooo… About the fic! Raven is a character who fascinate me, and I think the RWBY fandom is often unfair with her, so I decided to comfort her. Seriously, everyone is breaking sugar on her back* but she just want to be left alone! She looks like this kid that everyone bother at school when he's quietly sitting in a corner and get yelled at by a teacher the day he decide to defend himself!**

***cough***

**Anyway, I tried to follow the original development of the story, but I also changed few things that you will discover in this first chapter. This fic will be in 3 parts. I wrote the whole first part but I still have to translate it (8 chapters, 10000 words each, ouch…). I just began the second part that will be longer because more complex. And the third part start at the same moment as the show, with Beacon, and a lot of changes.**

**And final point (the last, I promise), as I said, English is not my native language, but I really want to do the best I can with this fic, so if someone could help me to correct the translation, it would be very sweet.**

***I don't know if this expression is also used in English, but in French, "to break sugar on someone's back" approximately means "to pick on someone".**

* * *

.

Raven was angry.

First, the raid didn't go well at all because of a stupid snowstorm, they weren't able to bring back nearly half of their loot, and several members of the tribe perished at the hands of Huntsmen who were in the village.

Second, because of this failed raid, winter supplies were much smaller than what they usually were, which meant that a rationing system had to be created for the coldest period, until they were able to make a new raid or move the camp, which would require a lot of organization and effort.

Third, Qrow. Of all the villages of Anima, it _had_ _to_ be in _this one, _at _that _very moment! At least he didn't dare to attack them, and just avoided the deaths of innocents, but Raven was pretty sure that his deliberately amplified Semblance was what set off this storm and forced them to leave. Did he really think she didn't notice his little smirk when she gave the order to retreat?!

Raven was having a very bad day. As she returned to the camp followed by her troops, she gave the usual orders for a return from raid, and entered her tent, ordering not to be disturbed. Tired and angry, she forcefully put her helmet on the coffee table, sitting down and pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm down. She mustn't let her emotions get the better of her, if she lost control, the whole tribe would suffer, she had to stay strong and inflexible no matter the situa-…

-Mommy?

…-tion.

With a sigh, Raven turned to see a three-year-old curly little blonde girl with big purple eyes looking at her worryingly, half hidden behind the curtain that separated her room from the rest of the tent. Without a word, the tribe leader reached out a hand to the child, who rushed into her mother's arms laughing, a small wooden sword in her hands.

Raven couldn't help but smile tenderly as she hugged her daughter, letting her hand slip in her soft golden curls, which were already reaching her shoulders. She could be cold, cruel, even ruthless with the rest of the world, but the simple presence of her little bird was always enough to melt her ice heart.

The little girl raised her head up to her mother with a big smile, and began to wave her toy weapon in all directions, pulling Raven's sleeve with her free hand.

-Mommy, can you show me some cool stuff with your sword? Please please please!

-Yang, sweetheart, I just come back from a raid, can you let me rest?

-But I'm boooooored!

Yang dramatically fell on the floor and watched her feet pedal in the void above her head. She disliked when her mommy went out on a raid, because it meant she had to stay alone for days, or even weeks when the camp had to move to join them, and when her mommy was back, she was too tired to play. She couldn't wait to be old enough to go on a raid, it would be funnier. But she had to wait until she was ten years old and get her own weapon.

-Why don't you go with Vernal? You like her, don't you?

-She says I'm a baby!

Raven let out a little tired laugh, and beckoned her daughter to get closer. She sat cross-legged in front of the table, her little bird nestled in the hollow of her legs, her back against her mother's chest.

-What if I told you a story instead?

-Oh yes! I love stories!

Raven smiled and passed an arm around her daughter to hold her in place, little electric pile she was, and stretched the other arm to the table, where ice sculptures appeared. Yang watched in amazement as the shiny forms moved by themselves as if they were alive. She loved when her mommy performed magic, it was so beautiful… But she mustn't tell anyone, it was their little secret to both of them. And Vernal, but it didn't matter, she was the fake Maiden.

-Once upon a time, there was… a man. A wizard.

The ice moved to form a male figure, wearing a long coat, with what looked like a scepter in his hands.

-This wizard was very powerful, he possessed many powers, each more impressive than the others. But the most amazing of all… was his ability to reincarnate. Every time he died, his soul, his memories, his magic, did not disappear, and found a new host. Another soul to share a body with.

-Wow…

Yang's eyes stared at the ice characters, who moved to the rhythm of Raven's story, illustrating her words.

-The wizard lived hundreds of lives, some quiet as a farmhand or a seller, others more epic as a fighter, sometimes even a king. But he wasn't alone in these lives. Each time, there was a second soul, the one the body originally belonged to. And sometimes some of these souls fell in love, married, and had children. And these children, born of a parent capable of perform magic, inherited a power.

-Could they do magic like you?

-Not like me, no… They had only one power. But it was incredibly powerful.

On the table, an ice Nevermore flaunted its wings menacingly in front of a young girl in a long hooded cape.

-Their silver eyes could emit an intense light, capable of changing Grimm… into stone.

And faithful to Raven's words, the girl's sculpture began to shine in the direction of the giant bird, and the ice Nevermore became a stone Nevermore, before collapsing on the table into small pebbles.

Yang grabbed one and watched it dissolve into dust in her hand. Magic was amazing. There were so many amazing things that became possible with it… Even turn Grimm into stone.

-This power has been passed down from generation to generation, but over time it has gradually died out, and only few people today still possess it. They are rare, and many of them don't even know about their power. Even their legend is not know by the public. But they exist, they're here, among us. I saw it with my own eyes.

-Wow! For real?

-Don't you believe me?

-I do! It's just amazing! I wish I could do magic too!

Raven smiled tenderly as she clutched her daughter, a hint of sadness crossing her gaze.

-One day you will… I'm sure of it…

* * *

-Qrow.

-Raven. How was your week? Well I hope so.

-…

-Hey, don't give me that look. I go wherever I want.

-Are you aware that the tribe is going to have a hard time getting through the winter because of this?

-Y_our_ tribe doesn't concern me. I just did my Huntsman job, and if I'd do it seriously, I should have tried to shoot you.

-I would _not_ hesitate to behead you, and you know I am capable of it.

-Was I supposed to let you kill innocent people?

-The weak die, the strong live.

Qrow sighed and took a sip of alcohol from the glass laid in front of him, even though he didn't particularly like to drink. He knew his sister would be willing to kill him if he really put her precious tribe in danger, just as he knew he had almost no chance in front of her when she was angry. That was largely why he didn't arrest them directly, even though he wasn't going to let them kill innocent people. And it was quite funny to see his invincible sister having to run because of the weather, for once, his Semblance didn't just cause him problems. But honestly, they hadn't seen each other for more than three years now, and she had nothing but reproaches for him? When _she_ was the one who left them all for no reason?

-Anyway, do you know Tai and Summer got a kid a year ago?

-Pff, why should I be concerned by that?

-Oh I don't know, maybe because you and Tai were married before you left without a word.

Raven frowned, got up, and left. Qrow watched her without adding anything. She didn't listen to anyone, not even him, she ran and turned her back on them all without any remorse, and honestly, he wondered who was on the other side of this portal that led her to the tribe. At least it meant she wasn't completely alone, and that there was still some place for someone in her heart, even if there wasn't for her team anymore.

* * *

Raven landed in her tent without a sound, Yang was sleeping just across the curtain and she was already having enough trouble getting her to bed. After a few seconds of silence to make sure her little bird had not woken up, she fell on her knees, and tears soon fell.

What was Qrow thinking? That she just forgot on Tai overnight? That she had got tired of him? Or perhaps that she never really loved him?

Well, she did, Raven really loved Tai, and she still loved him, that was why she had married him, why it was so hard to leave, why she didn't divorce, why she continued to wear her wedding ring. She had named her daughter after him, and she was always happy to see Yang's pretty blonde curls, her big smile, or her inexhaustible good mood!

She would have stayed without even considering leaving… if it wasn't for Ozpin. This man had no qualms, he saw people as puppets, puppets who had to obey him. He was even more dangerous than Salem herself, and if that were enough to kill him, Raven would gladly plant her sword between his eyes. And of course, she was the only one who understood it, to have seen through his beautiful speeches. She could have told them, it would have been so easy, and they would all have turned their back on Ozpin. And he knew it. So he threatened her. Worse, he threatened her tribe. He _dared_ to threaten her tribe. At first she stayed quiet, she let go on this plan that disgusted her, and then the same day she learned of her pregnancy, she was gone, without saying a word about her condition. She didn't want to abandon them, she didn't do it for herself, she did it for Yang.

She never stopped to love Tai deeply.

Obviously, it wasn't reciprocal, and Ozpin got what he wanted.

Raven removed the armor on her forearm and the glove she was wearing underneath, and dropped her gaze on her wedding ring. The tears were accompanied by cry. She couldn't blame him, she was the one who left, she broke his heart, she let her place with no intention of taking it back one day, it would be selfish to want him to be alone after that, she knew perfectly well. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt.

-Mommy…?

Raven quickly wiped away her tears before turning to her daughter with a fake smile.

-Yang, what are you doing here? You're supposed to sleep.

-I heard a noise…

Raven sighed and reached out a hand to her daughter. Yang came closer, rubbing her eyes with her hand. It was almost midnight, she didn't used to be awake so late. Half-collapsing, she sat down between her mother's legs, and used her chest as a pillow, as she often did. She was about to go back to sleep when a drop of water fell on the top of her head.

-Mommy?

Raven tightened her arms around her daughter, not even trying to hold back her tears. Yang looked at her mother anxiously, she had never seen her cry, her mother was always strong, she was the leader of the tribe, she was stronger than the Huntsmen, she was never afraid of anything, and no one was strong enough to hurt her. What could make her so sad?

Raven felt her little bird move in her arms and turn around to pass her little arms around her neck.

-I don't like when you're sad...

Taken aback, the mother didn't know what to do. Then she let her maternal instinct speak for her, and pressed her daughter harder against her, like if she was the one who comforted her. She didn't want to worry her daughter like that.

After a few minutes, she felt a gentle and steady breath against her neck, indicating that Yang was sleeping again.

Raven tenderly smiled, got up with her daughter in her arms, and carried her to her bed. It was only a futon installed on the ground, covered with a thick blanket for the winter. A big brown teddy bear with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck was lying around, she found it during a raid when Yang was a baby, and since the people who used to live in the house were lying in their own blood, they wouldn't be angry at her for taking it, dead people wouldn't need it anyway. Yang loved her stuffed animal, and as soon as Raven putted it in her arms, she clung to it with a little grin.

Tai could no longer love her, Summer could have robbed her husband, Qrow could call her a coward and a heartless murderer, Remnant could see her as a monster, but _nothing_ would stop her from loving her daughter more than anything in the world. And as long as Raven was alive, Ozpin would not touch a single one of her golden curls.

* * *

-Again. Again. Put your shoulders back on. You're not holding the handle properly.

Yang jumped back and took up position, a tantô in her hands. She was still too small to use a katana. Planted in the ground, her mother's was bigger than her! But that didn't stop her from learning how to handle a blade. It even seemed that she was very good. With surgical precision, she performed for the umpteenth time since the beginning of the morning the movements that her mother had been teaching her for a few weeks now.

Raven was very proud of her daughter, she learned fast and did very well in the handling of the blades. She also seemed to be gifted for hand-to-hand combat, she certainly took it from her father. It would be another two or three years before her fighting style really began to establish itself, and later, she would get her own weapon. Raven was almost sure it would be a sword, whatever the form, but the question was where to find it. She could always take it from a Huntsman she would have killed in a raid, for her it was as simple as going shopping at the supermarket. But Yang deserved better than a second-hand weapon, she needed something truly made for her, adapted to her abilities and fighting style.

By the way, she didn't try guns yet…

-That's fine Yang. We're done for this morning, come on, let's go back home.

Although out of breath, Yang ran to her mother with a big smile on her lips. She loved spending time alone with her mommy during the day, it was rare, Raven was often busy as the leader of the tribe, especially now, because they apparently had rationing problems for the winter, but she found always a way to get time for her.

Hand in hand, the two girls returned to the camp, after training in the forest. Everything was covered by snow, and groups took turns clearing the passages between the tents, otherwise they would end up buried before the end of the week. As she walked to her tent, Raven observed the state of her troops. They wouldn't pass the winter if they didn't get more supplies, but with such weather conditions, an emergency raid would be too risky, especially so soon after their failure, two weeks ago. Honestly, sometimes she wondered why she hadn't killed Qrow yet.

Raven felt Yang's little hand come out of hers, and watched her run, shouting towards Vernal, who was arm-wrestling with one of the tribe's heavyweights. The tribe leader let a proud smile appear on her lips when her disciple won her fight effortlessly, she didn't regret accepting her among them. And it was a bit of company for Yang, even though they were ten years apart.

Upon entering her tent, the tribal leader took out the list of their inventory, as well as a map of the land. The situation was critical, she had to do something until the coldest period of the season had yet arrived. There were several villages that would make good targets in the north, but they were all two or three days' walk away, and in the snow they would take even longer, and the risk of Huntsmen would be bigger. There also seemed to be a very recent village further south, the journey would take almost a week just to get there, but they had the advantage that it was warmer in this area, there would be less snow, and the weather would be more favorable to them. After that, if the village was so new, there was no guarantee it had enough to fill the tribe's stocks, so much of a raid had to be worth it. Perhaps she should go there in avian form in spotting? But she couldn't afford to leave the tribe without her protection in this critical time. She could always use Yang to come back with a portal, but she would still have to get there first. And moving the camp in these conditions was out of the question, so they couldn't even change the area to dodge the weather.

But what if...?

Raven got up and quietly glanced outside. Everyone went about their business, no sign of a problem to solve, and Vernal was showing Yang how to maintain a gun. Perfect. She quickly went out to the other side of the tent, and turned into a raven to fly away. She landed a hundred yards further, made sure that there was absolutely no one around, and looked up at the sky. A thick layer of clouds hid the sun, and snow fell heavily from it.

Raven closed her eyes, and focused, her hands outstretched in the direction of the camp. The wind rose quickly, anyone would believe a storm was about to begin, the flakes fell more and more obliquely as the clouds began to move. Raven held her breath and forced even more, magic over such a distance required a lot of effort, it was like lifting a big rock at arm's length. The wind was blowing stronger and stronger, the tribe should have started to worry about the risk of storm, she had to be quick, she would not last very long.

The tug of war with the wind lasted another minute, and Raven was not used to perform so much magic over such long periods. But her efforts eventually paid off, because when she opened her eyes, the snow had stopped falling, the sky was clear, and only a few clouds at very high altitude were still there.

Unfortunately, it would not be definitive, this more bearable weather would not last more than a day, and required too much energy to be recreated every time it disappeared. But… it was better than nothing. And over time, it would become easier, even if it got her very tired. She would keep that for snowstorms for now. For the time being, she had to find a solution to their supply problem.

* * *

Yang was worried. Her mommy seemed more and more tired for some time, she spent her time thinking, looking at her map, and usually ended up getting angry and disappearing for a few hours, coming back even more tired, she even almost collapsed once. Sometimes, she also talked to herself, when she didn't notice that her daughter was there, and insulted a certain "Qrow". Was he the one who annoyed her so much? Yang didn't know, she didn't know anyone by that name.

Maybe Vernal would know?

-Vernaaaaal!

-A problem Yang?

-Who's Qrow?

Vernal froze, her shovel still planted in the snow, and looked at the little blonde with round eyes. She glanced around her, only to see that she wasn't the only one who heard the question, several older members had also stopped clearing the snow, and were watching them with a hint of anger in their eyes. Vernal swallowed as she turned her gaze to her little sister by heart, and hesitated for a moment before finally answering, uncertain.

-He's… a former member of the tribe… who… left?

-Is that all?

Vernal nodded, not wanting to add anything and hoping it would be enough. Qrow Branwen was a taboo subject in the tribe, the one they had always hated and reluctantly kept, the one they thought could finally make useful by sending him Beacon, the one who had betrayed them by not returning. Raven also had no plans to return, but she finally did, and she had made the tribe stronger than ever. Qrow remained a traitor and it was because of him that they were in this difficult situation.

Suspicious and a little disappointed by her answer, Yang went away, letting the grown-ups return to work, not noticing their sigh of relief when she didn't ask more questions. They didn't want to get Raven's wrath by giving too much information to her little princess. Where did she even hear about him?

Yang walked between the tents, leaving small footprints behind her. She wasn't much more advanced, she still didn't know who was this Qrow, or why her mommy was so tired. If even Vernal couldn't help her, no one could. What was she supposed to do now?

...

No, really, she couldn't find a solution… She still could train to pass the time, her mommy often said that staying by and doing nothing was a waste of time. At least she told those she found playing cards instead of making themselves useful. Yang was still too small to help with anything other than cooking, and still. She was the only child here, the tribe usually recruited its members at the earliest in the last decade, births within the camp were rare. So there wasn't a lot of activity for a three-year-old girl, people tolerated her because she was the chief's daughter, otherwise she wouldn't have any reason to be there. A place in the Branwen tribe was earned and deserved, and compared to the others, Yang was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Very few people except Vernal were actually paying attention to her…

The weak die, the strong live. That's what her mommy used to say all the time. So she was going to train, and become strong, to earn her place here. Maybe it would cheer up her mommy?

* * *

It couldn't go on. Despite the rationing, the reserves were too thin, and the bite of the cold was increasingly felt despite her daily efforts on the weather. The tribe could hold on to this precarious balance for now, but the slightest little climate change would have catastrophic consequences. She had to find a solution and quick.

But no matter which village they chose to attack, they always had the same problems: the travel time, the weather, and the Huntsmen. If each of these things was manageable separately, all three at the same time made any raid almost impossible. Yet the longer they waited, the weaker they became, and the less they were likely to succeed what already had very low chances of success.

-We survived so far, we're not going to let ourselves be take down by a simple winter…

Letting out a small part of her frustration over the poor innocent pencil she had in her hand, Raven dropped the now broken piece of wood to take a sip of steaming tea. The burning liquid warmed her more than the thick jacket she was wearing today. Slowly, she let out a long sigh. She didn't have much luxury to relax lately.

-Mommy Mommy!

And of course, this moment of calm could not last… Knowing that her moment of calm was over, Raven put her cup down and turned to see Yang run towards her, soaked by the snow, and with a slightly bleeding scratch on her forehead which she did not seem to care about. Actually, knowing Yang, she surely didn't even notice… Her Aura would take care of it.

Yang was very independent for her age. Of course, with Raven going on raid for long periods of time, she didn't have much choice, but given the environment in which she grew up, it was for the best. She quickly learned to walk, without going through the "four-legged" part, and didn't take long before running, she spoke well for her age, largely because no one bothered to adapt their language to a child, she ate what she was given without making a fuss, either with her mother or with the members who did not go on raid, she didn't cry for twenty minutes at the slightest wound, she knew not to disturb those who worked, and she knew how to find useful occupations when she was alone, whether it was helping cooks, doing small chores, or more recently training. She rarely stayed with nothing to do and it was impossible to hold her in place.

In a flash, the little terror was next to her mother and pulled on the sleeve of her jacket, hopping with excitement.

-Mommy you'll never guess what I did!

Raven sighed and gave her daughter the significant "calm down first" look, that Yang ignored in favor of her incredible story. She would have reprimanded her slightly in normal circumstances, but the fact that she did not see the usual joyful smile on her little bird's face made her understand that something was wrong.

-What did you do?

-Well I didn't really know what to do so I wanted to go to training but since in the camp there is too much snow and you said I wasn't allowed to go out alone and everyone is busy-…

-Stop. Take your breath, just like in training.

Although a little annoyed by being cut in her story, Yang took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as she did after a tiring exercise.

-That's it. Now go on, slowly.

-Okay. So as there was no place for me to practice sword because of the snow, I decided to practice climbing the logs around the camp. And I almost got to the top! But when I was almost at the top, I slipped, because the trunk was wet, and when I fell, I-…!

Raven had to resist the urge to let her head fall in her hand. Yang might be more mature than other children of her age, but sometimes Raven wondered if she did not have a _monkey_ Faunus among her ancestors. Or she just looked like her father. Or both, knowing Tai, it wasn't even impossible.

-… I turned into a bird!

…

-I'm sorry?

-I turned into a bird!

… No. No, she couldn't. Anything but that.

With trembling hands, Raven firmly grabbed Yang's shoulders and forced her to look her mother in the eyes.

-Yang. Are you sure that's what happened?

-That's true, I swear! I was falling, but when I moved my arms, it had become wings and so I didn't get hurt when falling! And I felt like I was smaller too, it was so weird!

Several seconds of heavy silence passed like hours. Yang didn't dare to move. Her mommy had always been much more emotional with her than with the tribe, with them she was cold, strict, authoritarian, and, according to some, quite cruel, even by the standards of bandits, she was a Huntsmen killer after all. But Yang had already seen her be happy, she had seen her be sweet, she had seen her be worry, she also vaguely remembered seeing her cry, even though she wasn't sure and maybe she just dreamed. She had seen her from an angle that she was the only one who knew.

But it was the first time she saw her mommy _being__ afraid._

-Mommy…?

Raven didn't move, still staring at her daughter, her three-year-old daughter, still innocent. Yet she could perform magic. Yang was born with the ability to perform magic, she had neither asked nor accepted it, and she could never get rid of it. If she could turn into bird, who said she didn't also have Maiden powers? If Salem found out, or worse, if Ozpin found out, if they found out that it was possible to be born with magic? Perhaps Salem would ignore it if it was just transformation, but if she had Maiden powers? And Ozpin, whatever her powers, would do anything to have Yang in his army, to make her another of his precious pawns to sacrifice without remorse! What if Tai found out he had a daughter and wanted her back?! No! No, it was out of the question for them to take her away from her! No one-…!

-Mommy?

Raven startled, Yang's voice bringing her back to reality. Only then she realized her own condition, she was sweating, breathing heavily, and her hands were shaking. Slowly, she dropped Yang's shoulders, who looked at her anxiously, and buried her face in her hands, her elbows resting on the table.

-Momm-…

-Go to your room.

-… But-…

-I said, go to your room!

Yang backed away, more out of shock than fear, despite the coldness of the order she just received. Timidly, she bypassed her mother without taking her eyes off her, and disappeared behind the thick curtain that separated her "room" from the rest of the tent. There, she sat in her bed and clutched her teddy bear against her. Her mom never yelled at her. Did she do anything wrong?

* * *

Raven let out a long sigh. She was exhausted. They were barely halfway through the winter, they had practically no more supplies, a heavy snowstorm seemed to be heading straight for them, and she was no longer strong enough to push it away. On top of that, more and more Grimm were passing by the camp because of the negativity that their situation brought. They may have been just Beowolves and Boarbatusk, but the bandits were more used to fight humans, and between fatigue and lack of proper equipment, it was very hard for the tribe to defend itself. Only Raven was holding up. Because she had no choice. She was their chief, their leader, and the most powerful fighter in the tribe. If she fell, everything would collapse with her. And it was getting harder and harder. She managed to keep her face until then, but those who worked with her more regularly, like Vernal, knew she was at the end of her rope.

And in addition to all these problems, she still had Yang's problem. Actually, she almost didn't talk to her daughter since. Meals was quiet, training was shorter and less frequent due to lack of time, and Yang didn't come to talk to her on her own even once, preferring to help in the camp or train alone rather than risk her mother being even more angry at her. Raven knew it was her fault, she got angry and raised her voice for the first time, without giving any explanation. But what was she supposed to explain? Yang knew that magic was real, but she was still too young to really understand what it meant, she might not even understand that she could perform magic.

-What can I do…? All because of a single failed raid. Thank you Qrow. Oh, really.

A gale lifted the canvas that served as the entrance to the tent, letting in the worried noises of the tribe members. The snowstorm was approaching and they knew it. She had no choice or time to find a solution, it was time to take drastic decision.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, but Raven wasn't sleeping. How could she? Before sunrise, the camp would be buried under the snow and there would be no way to get around. That was why everyone had a formal ban on going out, the last rations of food had been distributed to everyone to keep on until the end of the storm. By then, everyone had to stay in their tent, sealed off, and wait. It was a state of emergency.

It had happened once, a little over fifteen years ago. Raven and Qrow were eight years old at the time, they had to spend two days and two nights together, locked in the same tent, with just enough food, and only blankets and their Aura so as not to freeze to death. How did they manage not to tear eyes out from each other? No one knew. There had been many deaths from the cold, some tents had flown away, leaving their occupants exposed to powerful gusts of wind and snow, with no hope that anyone would come to help them.

This time, Raven had personally checked the bindings of each tent, and distributed a small amount of Fire Dust to each group by drawing from her personal reserve. The storm was expected to be long and violent, but as a leader she was willing to do anything to ensure the survival of her tribe. They had provisions for three days, and they could possibly hold a fourth if they made efforts. But the hardest thing would be after that, when the storm stopped, they would all be tired, and they would have no food.

_-The weak die, the strong __live__. The weak die, the strong __live__. The weak die, the strong __live__… _

They were strong, they would survive it, she would make sure. And those who would die despite all that she had done? They deserved it. She just hoped they wouldn't be too many...

* * *

_-___«___The current storm on Mistral is of unprecedented power, and experts expect it to last several days in the south, and nearly a whole week in the north. The Kingdom has officially declared a state of alert this afternoon, air transport is on hold, and __H__a__ven__ Academy-... »_

-Hey!

-No TV during diner.

Tai let out a long sigh and fixed his plate. Summer's dishes were among the best in Remnant, but by now he was too worried to swallow anything. The main camp of the Branwen tribe was in the north of Mistral, they must be in the middle of the storm right now. He had no doubt that Raven would make it, but he couldn't help but be worried about her. Even though she had been gone for years, even though he had remarried, even though he had a child with Summer, Raven still had a place in his heart. An empty place that she had left leaving overnight without a goodbye…

-Come on Ruby, open your mouth!

-Ah…!

-That's very good. Mmmh! Carrot puree taste good, doesn't it?

Ruby happily clapped her hands, laughing, snatching a small smile from her parents. When the meal was over, Summer went upstairs to put her to bed, while Tai sat on the chair near the fireplace with a thick packet of copies to correct. He would have liked Raven to be there with them to enjoy the warmth of a home and a family.

* * *

It should be almost midnight, the wind was blowing louder and louder, and the snow was piling up all around the tent. She couldn't close her eyes.

-Mommy?

Fully awake, Raven looked over her shoulder to see Yang wrapped up in her blanket.

-I can't sleep…

She should have expected it… With a sigh, Raven turned completely and lifted her blanket. Yang didn't pray and crept up next to her mother, huddling against her in search of some warmth. She wasn't chilly in normal circumstances, but protected from a snowstorm only by a few layers of cloth, even a mini-sun like her could be cold.

-Mommy… I'm sorry…

-For what?

-I don't know… But you got angry the other day so…

Raven pressed her daughter a little harder against her and put her chin on her little head, while a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

-Listen to me Yang, I'm not angry against you, and I will never be. You are the most precious thing I have ever had, and you take more space in my heart than anyone else in this world.

-So you're not angry?

-Of course not. Now sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day.

-Okay mommy…

Yang huddled a little more in her mother's arms, more relaxed than when she came. Raven blamed herself for scaring her like that, she loved her daughter more than anything in the world, and she still preferred to throw herself head first towards a slow and painful death rather than hurt her.

If Qrow would hear it, he'd probably laugh at her with something like, "You've been softening up since time impart!". And she had to admit that he would not be wrong, compared to what they had experienced when they arrived in the tribe. They had been beaten to exhaustion almost every day after their arrival, they had to fight to the death against some members who considered them too weak and cumbersome, they had worked hard to stop being treated like burdens by the tribe, they had received no help, no support except each other.

Many would say they got a horrible childhood, it wasn't really the case, at least not for Raven. Yes it had been hard, yes she had suffered, yes she had looked death in the face more times than she could count. But she was still there, she survived, all these trials made her stronger, made her the monster of power that she was now. That was how she was raised, in a world where you have to be strong to survive, in a tribe of thieves and killers that she shamelessly called her family, and which she would protect with her life if she had to. It was a life she deliberately chose to return to.

And yet…

-Mommy will always be there for you, little bird. Always…

* * *

Three days. The storm had been raging on the camp for three days. Three days that Raven had been able to spend thinking more calmly about the solution. Three days during which she had been able to rest and regain enough energy to put her plan in action. It should have been the middle of the morning and the wind was still blowing as strong. As Yang tried to focus on the reading lessons she recently began, Raven put her hand on the canvas facing the back of the camp, trying to figure out how high the snow level was. Higher than her hips, and the tent was raised. It was going to be hard, but she could do it, she had to do it.

-I won't be long.

Yang nodded, and watched her mother go out despite the storm, letting in some wind and snow. Outside, Raven groped along the canvas, making her way between the fabric and the snow, until she reached one of the pillars that supported the tent. It wasn't very thick, but still enough to climb. With some effort due to the slippery wood and the wind, she finally managed to climb onto the roof. It was just as snowy as the rest of the camp, and it was a question of how it didn't already collapse.

Although totally blinded by the storm, Raven knew every inch of her camp, no matter how many times they moved, she didn't need her eyes to act with precision. Then, with a great sigh, she began.

* * *

Yang was bored. She was used to now, so she wasn't complaining too much. She didn't want to read the child books that her mommy had given her to keep her busy, and she really wanted to see her do magic. Yang loved magic. But mommy said no.

…

Oh, well, no one would know if she just looked.

Trying to be discreet, despite the deafening din of the wind, Yang walked towards the exit of the tent, and slightly pushed aside the two side solidly kept closed to prevent the snow from entering. Outside, everything was white, she couldn't even see the ground, and even standing on a pile of pillows, it was barely high enough to see over the snow piled up all around the tent.

And suddenly the wind stopped, the suspended flakes seemed to freeze, no more noise was heard, like if time had stopped. Then just as suddenly, everything started again, but in the opposite direction. The wind blew unnaturally from the ground to the sky, the snow already on the ground began to rise, as if it was falling upside down. Yang didn't know how long this had lasted, she was too hypnotized by the sight of seeing a soft, quiet tornado suck each flake, gradually releasing them from the winter trap they were trapped in. The tornado was not very large, but it was rising higher and higher, and when it touched the clouds, it also sucked them in, revealing the blue of the sky for the first time in a long time. Nothing stood up, no more storms for miles, it was a natural phenomenon stronger than nature itself.

When the camp was completely free from the snow in which it was trapped, the tornado detached from the ground, and all it contained, strong winds, large amounts of snow, thick clouds, an entire snowstorm capable of covering an area the size of several villages, was compacted more and more, until it reached the size of a ball, so small that it could hardly be seen from afar.

There was a noise when Raven jumped from the roof, and then, as heads began to come out of the tents, attracted by the sudden disappearance of the storm and the noise it was making, she proudly advanced towards the center of the camp. There she picked up something on the floor, observed it a little, and then beckoned everyone to go out.

Yang followed the movement as the bandits formed a circle around their leader, and tried to sneak in front to see better. Everyone was jostling, and she was almost forced to walk on all fours to advance, when she felt two hands grab her under her armpits and lift her effortlessly into the air, to land on a pair of shoulders she knew well.

-Listen to me.

From the moment Raven began to speak, all the whispers stopped instantly. She had always had that power, that charisma that made her the leader of the tribe at such a young age. When Raven talked, you closed your mouth and listened. It wasn't by fear of her strength as one might think from bandits, it was by loyalty and trust, they all recognized her as their leader, they respected every one of her decisions because by her mere presence she made them feel that it was the right thing to do and they would not regret it. And they never regretted it, no matter how extreme the measures were, as for the last three days, no one objected, everyone trusted her, and again, they were right.

-This…

Raven raised her hand so everyone could see. Between her fingers was what looked from afar like a piece of opaque crystal in purple tones, no bigger than a gun bullet.

-… is the storm that thought it could take us down. This stone contains one of the most violent natural phenomena we ever had to deal with. And that strength is now in our hands. You may be wondering how such a thing is possible, but you already know the answer.

The crowd strayed, and Vernal advanced, straight and proud as expected the role she was told to play, and stood beside Raven, who put her free hand on her disciple's shoulder.

-This is the work of our Spring Maiden, our best asset, one of the most powerful powers mankind have ever seen. We don't have to fear the weather, because as long as that power is ours, nature itself is under our control. And this stone is proof. We are the strong, the ones who survive, those who are still there despite the trials!

Screams emanated throughout the camp, the bandits enthusiastically raising their fists after their leader's speech, and Yang shouted with them with her little high-pitched voice.

Raven was amazing, she had everything, strength, intelligence, courage, charisma, in addition to being the best mom in the world, the tribe never could have a better leader, and from the top of her three years, Yang was proud to be her daughter.

* * *

After the cheers, the group gradually dispersed, and Raven allowed herself a discreet sigh. She thanked Vernal and gave some instructions, then quickly looked for her daughter. She found her walking down from the Ramy's shoulders, an old man with ram horns who, following a serious leg injury years ago, took the role of chief cook of the tribe, a role that did not exist until then and which was cruelly lacking. Since Yang often helped in the kitchen, they spent a lot of time together, he was a kind of grandfather to her. The tribe was a big family after all.

-Mommy Mommy! Can I see the stone?

-It's not a toy, Yang.

-But I just want to see! Please, please, please, please, please!

Raven sighed, and crouched down to bring the precious crystal to the height of her daughter's eyes. The kid looked at it with wonder, as every time she saw magic. She was fascinated by magic, and the tribe leader had to admit that she herself was always impressed by her own powers.

-And if it breaks, what happens?

-The storm will come out, the wind, the snow, the clouds, everything will be violently expelled in all directions until it regains its original size and shape. It's kind of like a bomb.

When another child would be afraid of having a bomb right under his nose, Yang came closer to observe even more, as if mesmerized by what she saw. Raven seriously wondered her daughter being so close to magic everyday was a good thing. Magic meant Ozpin, it was impossible for one to go without the other, even Salem was not that dangerous about that, as long as she didn't need you or you did what she asked, she could leave you alone, magic or not. Ozpin would hunt you down relentlessly until he was sure he got you under his control.

Raven got up and took Yang's hand and brought her back to their tent. She had a supply raid to organize, and several villages devastated by the storm that were waiting for them.

* * *

-Where are we going mommy?

Raven didn't answer and continued to walk, Yang hanging at the end of her hand.

They did it, they survived this critical winter, with great effort and a very strict rationing of what they had obtained from villages weakened by the storm, but they were still standing, and now that the sun began to come back and that they were no longer in danger of starving, she finally had time to devote herself to something she had hoped she would never have to do: learn magic to Yang.

After a long walk through the woods, they finally reached their destination, at the top of a cliff that gave a stunning view of the still slightly snowy forest, and you could see a village destroyed in the distance, along the river that descended from the waterfall that was half a kilometer away, all bathed in the sunlight that rose straight in front of them.

-It's beautiful…

-Yes, but that's not what we're here for.

Raven walked to the ledge, beckoning her daughter not to move. She walked without fear, and without even stopping for a moment to see the height she was at, jumped. Yang watched her, curious about what was to come. She wasn't afraid for her mother, it would be insulting to worry just because she was falling off a cliff. She could bottle a storm if she wanted to!

After a few seconds of silence, a noise from above caught Yang's attention. A raven circled in the sky above her, then descended to the trees. It wasn't a normal bird, she could feel it, she had this familiar feeling of chills in her back every time her mother did magic near her… The bird continued to fly between the branches, getting closer and closer to the child. But as it was about to land in front of her, Raven landed in a small thud, lifting a small cloud of snow, and as she stood up, she couldn't help but smile at Yang's marveling gaze.

-Remember when you told me you turned into bird?

Yang nodded. Raven had deliberately avoided the subject ever since, but she surely didn't forget it. If Yang had really inherited her power, then she had to learn to master it, before it would come forward against her will and someone see her. No one was supposed to know. No one. But she wasn't going to ban her little bird from flying anyway.

-This power… You take it from me. It's one of the magic powers I got before you were born.

-I can do magic?!

-It seems so…

Yang tried to hold back from screaming and jumping for about a second, before exploding. Raven watched her bounce around with a little smile on her face, it was crazy how she looked just like her father sometimes. Finally, the little electric battery came back to be in front of her mother, eager to be able to do the same thing as the person she admired so much.

Raven sighed and put her hand on Yang's head to stop her jumping. She was already stressed enough like that...

-Good. First of all, do you remember how you felt the first time you changed?

-Uh... Not really… I just tried to stop falling, and then I saw that I had wings instead of arms, and I think I was smaller too.

-Try to do it again.

-Right now? But I don't know how I did it last time.

-Magic comes instinctively, just know what you want to do.

Yang frowned, still not quite sure what to do. She had seen her mother perform magic dozens of times, but she never wondered how it worked. So following the instructions given to her, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on a possible transformation. But she didn't even know which bird she was trying to turn into. Or _how_ to turn. Did she have to… _feel_ magic or something?… She opened an eye and looked at her hands, nothing had changed, no wings, not even a small feather. Undeterred, she tried again. She tried very hard, focusing so much that she had a headache.

Raven sighed.

-You're not going to make it like that.

As Yang let go of her breath and looked at the ground with a depressed look, Raven crouched down in front of her and put her hand on her cheek to make her look at her.

-Listen to me Yang, magic is not something you use, it's something you do, it's a part of you, it comes just as naturally to you as breathing. Don't think about how to transform, just do it.

-But…

-Try by jumping.

-Jumping?

-Yes, jumping over there.

Yang looked in the direction indicated by her mother, the edge of the cliff. Was she supposed to jump? That high? In the void?

-Uh…

-You don't have to be afraid. You already did it once, you can do it.

-And if I don't make it…?

-You will make it, I believe in you.

Raven's voice was soft but firm, she exuded the same aura that when she addressed the tribe, she looked so confident that you was obliged to trust her, you felt like there was no way she was wrong.

-What if I don't make it the first time?

Raven let out a little laugh, ruffled Yang's hair, and then put her forehead against her daughter's with a maternal smile on her lips. Her daughter was sometimes too smart, but she was proud of it.

-I'll always be there to catch you. I promise.

After a second of hesitation, Yang nodded with energy, and walked to the edge of the cliff. Along the slope, several trees and rocks protruded, threatening to impale her or smash her head if she had the misfortune to fall on them, and even if she jumped far enough, the forest below seemed too far for her to hope to go out with scratches that her Aura would treat, as was the case when she fell from the trees in which she was having fun climbing.

But mommy said she could make it, so she was going to make it. And if it wasn't the first time, she'd catch her. Yang didn't know how, but she believed in her. Mommy promised.

Yang recoiled a few steps, took a deep breath, then ran, and jumped.

After a few seconds of silence, Raven also approached the edge, one hand on her sword, ready to open a portal at any moment. She believed in her daughter, if there was one thing she was sure Yang was able to, it was to fly. But she couldn't help but be worried. Maternal instinct.

But as she leaned over to see how far her daughter was still from the ground, something quickly passed before her eyes, forcing her to back away, and a small corner smile appeared on her face when she realized it was a young falcon, twirling a little clumsily in the sky.

After a few antics, the bird descended, and began to fly to the ground as it made its way towards Raven. Knowing from experience how it would end, she crouched down and stretched out her arms, ready to make up for the inevitable fall. And indeed, when Yang turned into a little blonde girl, she was so close to the ground that her feet and knees scraped the earth before she could even try to stand, and would have made her crash on the floor if her mother didn't catch her before in a warm embrace.

-I am so proud of you, little bird!

Despite her knees burning her, and the still very present fear she had just before she turned, a big smile appeared on Yang's face as she jumped at her mother's neck.

-You're the best mommy in the world!

* * *

**Hello again! So what do you think? Do you like it?**

**I allowed Yang to turn into a falcon because why not, and I gave Raven the Spring Maiden's power much earlier (I will explain why in part 2).**

**I hope Raven was credible as a mom and not too sweet. I try to make her very kind with Yang and stricter with her tribe, but since the first part will talk about Yang's childhood and her relation with her mother, Raven's kind side will be put forward. And I mean, okay she's rude in the anime, but if she would have kept her daughter and seen her grow since she was a baby, of course she would have act differently.**

**Oh and this fic is what I call a carpenter's fanfiction. I will explain in chapter 6 n_n**

**And I ask it again, if someone could help me to correct the translation, it would be very sweet.**

**Thanks for reading and see you next time!**


	2. Chap 2 : Spring and its secrets

**Hello hello, here's the second chapter!**

**Thank you for the reviews, I didn't expect that much with only one chapter! **_**Je suis trop contente ! **_**XD**

**So I think each English chapter will be post a week after the French one, it seems to be a rhythm I can handle, especially when there will be a pause between part I and part II. But don't worry, I will post some OS to ****make**** you ****wait****, they'll be about funny or cute moments of Yang's childhood, or other characters of the show like Ruby, Qrow, ****Ramy, ****or … oh right, didn't appeared yet n_n'**

**G****ood reading n_n**

* * *

.

At the entrance to the camp, the crowd was agitated. In front of them was the only quiet person, straight and motionless, her hands crossed behind her back, with a discipline and pride that only few six-year-old kids could have. Especially since inwardly Yang was just as excited as the others, even more, but she had to be serious in front of the tribe, she was the daughter of the leader, she was the future leader, she had to be exemplary, she was no longer a child, she took part in the raids now! Well, from afar. But she had a very important role!

Suddenly, appearing out of nowhere, a red gate adorned with touches of black split the air, and Raven came out, followed by the other members who were on the raid, loaded with their loot. Those who stayed at the camp strayed to let them pass, cheering them on their way. Yang did the same, but a head movement of her mother ordered her to join the procession, which she did without being prayed, proudly crossing the camp alongside their leader.

For several months now, Raven had been using her link to Yang to return from raids by portal rather than on foot, saving them days of walking when they were most tired, and thus saving them valuable time, even if it required a high synchronization of travel time and raid duration. And the little blonde was very proud to be able to make herself so useful to her tribe. Before, she was too young to do anything, she spent most of her time helping Ramy with cooking, feeding an entire tribe could always require an extra pair of hands, or training, alone or with her mother, and sometimes with Vernal. But growing up, she found other hobbies, like juggling knives, fighting friendly with other members of the tribe, or flying… She loved flying, she loved the feeling of the wind on her feathers when she slalomed between the trees, the thrill she felt when she fell down very fast, or when she dropped from the clouds in human form to turn into bird at the last moment. And more than anything, she loved flying with her mother, racing with her in the clouds, following a river flush trying to splash each other, it was almost as fun as listening to her tell stories about magic!

While everyone was doing their usual raid return tasks, Yang entered the main tent with her mother, and stood up right at the entrance while Raven put off her helmet and weapon. The bandits' leader then looked at her, which caused her to stiffen immediately. Back straight, arms crossed behind the back, head raised, trembling with impatience. Raven looked at her critically for a few seconds, then smiled and nodded, before finally reaching out to her. From that moment on, all seriousness disappeared from Yang's impeccable posture as she ran in her mother's arms laughing.

-I missed you, mom!

-Me too, little bird.

Both sat down at the coffee table and served themselves a cup of tea, which Yang had prepared before her mother's arrival. She was a big girl now, she had to make herself as useful as possible.

-So how did things go in my absence?

-All right, nothing to report. A few Grimm got a little too close to the camp but we took care of it!

-« We »?

-Yeah, well, the tribe.

Yang looked down on her cup with a sulky air. She may have grown up, but she was still too young to go out and face the Grimm with the others, all she could do to participate without being a burden was to wait for their return by being ready to help give medical care if someone was coming back injured. Not everyone had their Aura activated to protect themselves.

-Your time will come Yang, but you must learn not to rush.

-I know mom… But I don't like to feel useless when everyone makes so many efforts.

-You are not useless, and you are still young, give yourself some time.

-Okay.

Raven smiled and brought her bag closer to look for something in it.

-And what if rather than complaining, you took a look at what I brought to you?

Yang's gaze lit up, and she immediately began to bounce back. Raven handed her something wrapped in fabric, which Yang quickly and excitedly unpacked. Then she froze, in her hands was a dagger in her leather case, it should be about thirty centimeters, the end of the wooden handle was carved to look like a sleepy Nevermore. Slowly, she removed the weapon from its holster and observed it, the metal was smooth and shiny, a real master's work, and the slightly curved S-shaped blade was perfectly sharp, it seemed so sharp that you could be cut just by looking at it. By rotating it a little, Yang could see her own face reflected on it, and by rotating it a little more, she could see her mother's face now right behind her, a kind smile on her lips.

-Seems like that there was a very good craftsman in this village, the tribe obtained several weapons of excellent quality. This one is for you until we can find one really adapted to your abilities. Do you like it?

Without detaching her eyes, Yang rotated the dagger around her left hand a few times, then put it back in its holster, and turned to jump at her mother's neck.

-I love it! Thank you mom thank you!

Raven smiled and hugged her daughter by passing a hand through her golden curls.

_-You grow up too fast… _

* * *

In the middle of the clearing, Yang barely stood, breathless and full of sweat, her dagger in her hand. In front of her, Raven drew her sword, a satisfied smile on her face. Thanks to a staggering number of hours of training, Yang was excellent with blades, but above all she was gifted for hand-to-hand combat. So a short blade like a dagger was a very good compromise between the two, especially since she knew how to handle it with both hands. The bandits' leader had an increasingly precise idea of the perfect weapon for her daughter, even though she didn't know where to find it yet.

-You are progressing well, at this rate, you will be able to come on a raid with us in one or two year.

Yang raised her head with wide, hopeful eyes. Normally, no one would go on a raid until they were at least ten years old, they would be a burden to the group. So being allowed to do so when you're seven or eight? It was an honor and a chance that only few had had. Raven and Qrow had it, they were seven when they were welcomed by the tribe, and barely nine for their first raid. They didn't even have their weapons yet, just as Yang would surely not have hers. But Raven believed in her daughter.

-Come on, one more round and we'll go home.

Although exhausted, Yang nodded and returned to position, her dagger in her right hand pointing forward. Raven smiled and drew her sword with an Ice Dust blade to block the first wave of offense. A beautiful classic spring day.

* * *

Qrow wasn't having a good day.

Why did Ozpin have to ask him that? He didn't want to see Raven! She annoyed him and it wouldn't do any good! She had already been very clear that she didn't want anything to do with them anymore! What was the point of continuing to harass her? He would preferred to go on this mission with Summer, it would have been more useful. But of course! He had to go and fight with his sister!

_-"I want to make sure of something"__,_ _he said…__ Thank __you__ Oz… _

Ah, there was it.

Qrow watched the camp from above, there were a lot of people, no raid in progress so, meaning she was there. He went down to fly between the trees, and bypassed the camp to arrive at Raven's tent unseen. He wasn't really welcome here and didn't want to be. Unashamedly, he entered the chief's tent as if he were at home, without worrying about the question of intimacy. They were twins and grew up together, he had seen her naked more often than Tai!

-Raven?

No answer, and the place looked empty, she was obviously not here right now, as if he had nothing to do but wait for her. No one entered the chief's tent without permission, he didn't risk to get caught, so he sat down at the coffee table, and waited. And waited. And waited… And waited a long time… He looked at his Scroll, he had been here for thirty minutes. He didn't even want to be here, and he had to wait? As he seemed to have some free time, he observed his surroundings a little. He rarely came to the chief's tent when he was still a member of the tribe, so he had trouble seeing changes, but a few details caught his attention, such as the presence of history books. Raven wasn't illiterate, but reading was surely not her favorite hobby. Two empty cups of tea were placed on the coffee table, waiting to be used. Raven always had the habit of leaving a cup out for herself, but why two? And the strangest thing was this curtain that separated a corner from the rest of the tent, like a separate room. Yet Raven's bed was outside this enclosed space… Qrow thought back to the portal his sister used to return to her tribe.

_-Oh please tell me I'm wrong… _

A noise outside took him out of his thoughts, it was Raven's voice that seemed to give instructions to someone, something about the maintenance of weapons. Then the front curtain lifted, the bandits' leader entered, and Qrow saw something he never expected. When Raven came in, she smiled. And not a smirk as usual. A true smile, sweet and sincere, with a spark of zest for life in her eyes that he had never seen on her, even having spent the first twenty years of their lives glued to each other.

Of course, that smile disappeared the moment she saw her brother, and turned into an angry gaze when she realized he entered in her home without permission. Qrow's natural impertinence forced him to raise his hand to greet her as if everything was normal, with a smirk.

-Hey sis.

Raven put her hand on the handle of her sword, ready to force him away if necessary. Ah… It was so easy to get her mad!

-I'm not here to fight.

-You'd lose.

-Actually we have the same level-…

-_Qrow, _what are you doing here?

-Oz wants to talk to you.

-And I have _nothing_ to say to him, I don't want _anything_ to do with him or any of you, and it's time he printed this in his brain. Now leave my home before I make you!

Wow… Raven was never in a very good mood when she spoke with him, especially when it came to Ozpin, but she never lost her composure so quickly. If he didn't know her better, he could almost think she was afraid of something. He should just get ideas.

Seeing that Raven was starting to draw her sword, Qrow quickly raised his hands in a sign of capitulation and got up. He did tell Ozpin it was useless, he did, but did the old man listen to him? No… At least he couldn't be blamed for not trying. Again.

* * *

-If you change your mind you know how to find me.

-Leave!

Qrow sighed and left, his hands in his pockets with insolent nonchalance. Raven stared at him and didn't stop until being absolutely certain he was gone for good. Only after she allowed herself to breath. A little longer and he could have discovered Yang's existence… Qrow may be a jerk, but he wasn't stupid. Although there was nothing in the tent to show that a _child_ lived here, he knew his sister well enough to notice that she didn't live alone. Who knew what he could imagine? What if he reported it to Ozpin?! That bastard was able to tell him to investigate!

Okay! Calm down Raven! She could just pretend to be in couple with someone from the tribe, that wouldn't be suspicious. A huge lie, but not suspicious. It would even make more sense than having a child. If she told Qrow she was a mother without giving him any proof, he'd laugh!

No, the big problem was that if he'd saw Yang, he'd immediately understand, after all she was a perfect mix between her two parents. And Qrow would tell Tai. And if Tai knew he had a daughter with Raven, a daughter who was growing up in a tribe of bandits, he'd try to get her back. And everyone would obviously help him, because who would imagine that Yang could be happy with thieves and killers around her all day long? Who would imagine that she has people here that she don't want to leave?… Who would imagine that Raven could be a good mother, that she could just want the best for her daughter and be willing to do anything to see her smile and make sure of her safety… even to let her go with her father if that was what she want?

Raven wouldn't let anyone take Yang from her, but if her little bird _wanted_ leave…

-Mom, Vernal want to know if-… Mom, are you okay?

Raven turned to the entrance to the tent, where Yang was looking at her with a worried look. She had oil on her top and a piece of fabric in her hand, she should just finish cleaning the guns with Vernal and a few others. Had she really spent so much time standing there thinking?

-Yes, just an unexpected visitor who know exactly how to irritate me. What does Vernal want to know?

-… You're crying…

Raven passed her hand over her cheek and did feel that a tear or two had flowed. She quickly wiped her both eyes, glad no one else had seen her in this state.

-Nothing, don't worry. So what is it?

-Vernal wants to know if we distribute the new weapons now or if you wanted to see them before…

-I'll take a look, you have free time for now.

-Okay…

Yang got out of the tent, obviously unconvincing. It wasn't the first time she caught her mother crying, so over time she stopped asking questions, and just kept the secret, because she knew that the leader of the tribe had to keep the image of a strong person for everyone. It was for this kind of things that Raven was so proud of her daughter. She may not have grown up in an ideal environment, but it made her much more mature than a child her age would be, without losing her smile. Mature enough to hear about some things…

* * *

Yang was worried. She didn't like to see her mother cry, she disliked even more not knowing why. She asked some times, but she never received an answer. She just knew she was the only one who knew about it and it had to stay that way. In the eyes of the tribe, Raven was strong, unflappable, whatever obstacles stood in her way, she was their pillar and she never faltered. But Yang knew her better, she knew her mother was not indestructible, she was human, just like everyone else, sometimes she was afraid, not knowing what to do, she was exhausted, and even crying. And yet she always managed to overpass these moments of weakness and not crack, to remain the embodiment of the strength the tribe needed. And it was precisely because she knew that her mother had these weaknesses that Yang admired her so much.

That didn't stop her from being worried when she saw her crying.

-Ha!

The bark of the tree didn't resist Yang's powerful kick. She may not have unlocked her Semblance yet, whatever it was, but she at least had her Aura to prevent her bones from breaking under the force of the shock, so she could afford to hit that hard. She liked to train, it allowed her to clear her head, and the more she hit the tree in front of her, the more she felt her blood boiling with excitement at the thought of the next punch.

-Ha!

Once, she struck so hard that her Aura broke, and her mother reprimanded her for not paying attention, before congratulating her for getting so much better.

-Ha!

There had also been this time when she tried to do an upturned kick and twisted her ankle while landing… Her mother was on a raid, so Ramy took care of her. She felt ridiculous for getting hurt this way, but the old man told her that she was lucky to make that mistake here, so she would not do it in a situation where her life would be in danger.

-Ha!

Having her life in danger? She knew what it meant, but she had a hard time imagining it. Not being able to defend yourself, being in a position of weakness, risking death. It seemed so far away, and yet she knew that every fight was a life-or-death situation. Putting one foot outside the camp meant that a Grimm could attack you, being in a raid meant that a Huntsman could try to kill you. And to survive, you had to kill them first.

-Ha!

Yang had never killed, she had never nearly died, she never went far from the camp alone, she never strayed from the procession when the tribe was changing location, she had never gone on a raid. She had no experience. She was just a child pampered and protected by her mother. She was still too weak. She'd be a burden.

-Haaa!

She didn't want to be a burden! The tribe was her family, she loved everyone here, Vernal, Ramy, even the alcoholic idiots who called her a baby, even those who didn't care about her because they didn't have time to talk to a child! They were all her family, they were the people she grown up with, she had seen new ones arrive and others not come back, while many had been there since her birth, she knew every name and every face, what task was assigned to whom, who could be found where at any time, and she knew she wasn't the only one! Everyone was like that here, they were helping each other, they were moving like a well-oiled machine of which Raven was the mechanic! And one day, it would be up to Yang to take this place, this duty to protect this great family which was hers, this family for which her mother made so much effort! And for that, she couldn't remain a child forever! She had to get strong!

-AAARG!

A loud noise rang out, half covered by the squid of the birds, which were rushing away. After a few seconds, the tree crashed softly to the ground in a thud, and silence reigned in the clearing.

Yang looked in amazement at the thick tree trunk on which she had been training since the camp had moved for the last time, it had always been insensitive to her blows, and now it was lying on the ground, finally defeated by its opponent.

-Did I just do that…?

She then glanced at her right hand, her phalanxes were bleeding, several large splinters were sunk, and she was pretty sure she had twisted or broken her wrist. And yet she was smiling. Because there could be only one explanation for the feat she had just achieved…

-Yang?

* * *

-We have too much perishable compared to dry food, and someone should tell guys to be careful how much alcohol they bring back. I know moderation's not our thing, but I'm frankly sick of playing the police to find out who owns which bottle.

-The new ones use to do that, I'll have a word with them. Anything else?

-Nothing that comes to my mind right now, but I'll let you know if I think to anything.

-Okay. Thank you Ramy.

-At your service boss.

Raven left with a hand sign. Sometimes she wondered how she would do if Ramy was not here to manage the food part of the tribe, because she seriously doubted that anyone could do it as effectively as he did. Yang would do well, she learned quickly, but as a fighter, she would be too busy. Ramy was once one of the best fighters of the tribe back in his days, a former Huntsman who had been disgusted by the hypocrisy and naivety of his colleagues, and who had been seduced by the solidarity of the bandits. He had been the pillar of the tribe for a long time, until a leg injury made him unable to return in raid. Even then, he had considered leaving to not be a burden to his family, but the chief of this time had convinced him to stay, and to help him manage the internal affairs of the camp. In the end, Ramy was a very valuable help in this time, and was still today.

After taking stock of the stockpiles of weapons and food with Ramy and Vernal, Raven returned to her tent to begin organizing the next raid. It wouldn't be for a while, but she preferred to be careful after the winter fiasco of a few years ago. And then, focusing on lists and maps allowed her to change her mind, not to think about Qrow's impromptu visit or what it might engender, even though she knew she couldn't escape the problem forever. She already decided to talk to Yang about her father, to take the lead before her daughter blamed her for hiding things from him. She knew that Yang was mature enough to understand, but Raven had to admit that she was afraid that her little bird would rather live with her father than with her, that she would resent her like the rest of STRQ did.

_BOOM_

Raven sighed. How many times did she told the new ones not to play with the Fire Dust? Dust was relatively hard to find during the raids, small villages never had very large quantities. Leaving her accounts behind, she reached to the origin of the noise, not far away, where some members usually trained. As she approached the clearing, Raven saw an elongated tree on the floor, and wondered for a moment why it wasn't burning. Maybe no one used Fire Dust? Raven got even closer, then stopped, acknowledging the little blonde head standing close to the stump.

-Yang?

Hearing her name, the little girl turned to her mother, with a big, radiant smile on her face, and blood-red eyes, resuming their usual purple after a blink of an eyelid.

-Mom! I think I unlocked my Semblance!

-I see that…

Raven looked in amazement at the spot where the tree had been struck, it looked like it had been shot with a cannon at Dust… Physical strength? Explosions? She then looked down at her daughter, and noticed how hurt her hand was. The force of the blow completely broke her Aura, or rather drained it, which explained why the wound wasn't already healing.

-Mom?

Yang looked at her with apprehension, she was afraid again of having done something wrong, like the first time she turned into a bird. But this time, there was no reason for Raven to be afraid. With a maternal smile, she crouched down, took the bloodied hand in hers, and closed her eyes. Yang saw with astonishment a pink light emanating from her mother's fingers, and gradually felt the pain disappear. After about thirty seconds, Raven freed her hand, intact, as if she had never been injured. Magic was really amazing.

-Wow…

-Yang.

Yang looked up from her magically healed hand, and met her mother's eyes. She was smiling.

Delicately, with a maternal sweetness that only her daughter knew from her, Raven put her hand on Yang's cheek, and traced the underside of her eye with her thumb. Her skin was still soft, baby skin, and her purple eyes, halfway between her mother's blood red and her father's sky blue, shone with a spark of pure innocence, despite the environment in which she was growing up.

-I'm proud of you, little bird.

Yang's face lit up with a radiant smile as she jumped at her mother's neck laughing, almost knocking her down.

Screw Qrow and his assumptions, Raven would do anything to see her little bird smile.

* * *

-Are you sure of that?

-Not a hundred percent. But I can say she doesn't live alone.

-I see…

Summer looked down, not knowing what to say. For a few years, she didn't know what to think about Raven, at Beacon they hated each other, then became good friends, as well as love rivals. Then Tai chose Raven. It hurt, but Summer accepted it. Then Raven was gone, overnight. So Summer jumped at the chance, she picked up Tai falling apart, they got married and had Ruby. Raven left her place, and Summer took it as soon as she could. But her mind was torn, on the one hand she resented Raven for abandoning them, for running away like a coward, and for breaking Tai's heart, but at the same time she had been so happy to be able to take the place she was so jealous of, and because of that, she further diminished the chances of Raven ever coming back. She acted like the worst friend ever, she knew it. And even now she was afraid that Raven would come back, that she might take Tai back from her.

Learn that she may have found someone else was actually a great relief to her conscience, as well as an interrogation. Raven had taken a long time to even appreciate Tai, but after that they seemed to live the great love. Then one morning she was gone, and when Qrow talked to her, she acted as if she had nothing to do with them, their team, the bonds they created together over the past five years. She turned her back on them without remorse to return to her tribe of killers. And now she had someone again? So early? Did she intend to abandon him too? Or was he more important to her than all of them?

-Do you think we should tell Tai?

-No… He still struggles when we talk about her, maybe we should avoid dropping this kind of bomb to him without being a hundred percent sure. Well, he won't ask us for proofs, but you get the idea.

-Yes… Well, it's almost time to pick up Ruby from kindergarten, wanna come with me?

-Why not? I have to play my role as the cool uncle who buys her candies when mommy says "no".

Summer crushed his foot.

* * *

The sun was hitting with all its might in the middle of the day. However, Yang didn't complain, on the contrary, it was raining torrent under the thick layer of storm clouds. But above?

As she climbed up a stake, the falcon became a little blonde girl again, who, after floating for a few moments holding out her hand to hide the sun that blinded her, began to fall again. The wind was blowing her hair and her long blonde locks whipped her face as she laughed, wriggling until she found herself star on her stomach to continue her fall.

-YOUHOU!

Yang loved to hover in human form. She also liked to fly, but flapping wings could become annoying in the long run. Dropping flat on the wind was so much nicer. Just before reaching the cloud layer, she opened her wings wide, stopping her descent, and flew at full speed, leaving a furrow in the white down that served as her playing space. She was going to go up and do it again, but a croak behind her caught her attention.

From the ground, a falcon could be seen following a raven from the clouds to the back of a large tent.

-How many times have I told you that you could be stuck by lighting by flying during a storm?

-But Mom! I was _above_ the clouds!

-Stop complaining. And don't move your head.

Yang blew and did what her mother told her. While Raven delicately passed a beautifully adorned comb in her hair, the little blonde had fun spinning her dagger around her left hand. She was right-handed, but she made sure she could handle weapons with both hands. She stopped to use her blade as a mirror and observed her reflection. Her cheeks were pink and all chubby, one of her front teeth was missing, drops of water still beading from her bang and wetting her face, and the part of her hair that had not yet been combed was a total mess. Yang didn't have a mirror, she didn't see the use of it, so she had almost never seen herself in anything other than the water of the river, and since she generally didn't care for her already very curly hair, it floated in the wind all the time, getting even more tangled up than it already was.

Slightly pivoting her weapon, Yang then looked at her mother. Her face was thin, and her skin pale and smooth, which contrasted with her long, deep black hair. She also let them go, but she still tied up a half-tail edit decorated with a red scarf, and untangled them carefully every night before going to bed. Her hair was beautiful, deep dark curls, silky and neat, so soft to the touch, like the feathers of a raven.

Why couldn't she have the same hair as her mother? Why did she have this yellow jungle instead? Why _yellow?_

-Yang?

-Yes, Mom?

-Do you… Have you ever wondered about your father?

Yang bent her head back to look at her mother with a confused look. Why was she talking to her about it? Her father wasn't from the tribe, so she didn't have to care, did she?

-Never. Why?

Raven replaced Yang's head and continued to comb it. The comb slipped so freely into the wet hair that it should be completely untangled.

-When I first met your father, I hated him. For me, he was just a carefree idiot and burnt head with whom I was going to be forcibly glued for the next four years. Then, before we knew it, we had become friends, then lovers. And just after our four years at Beacon, he proposed to me. And I said yes. We moved together to Patch, a quiet little island near Vale. We were happy like that. Or at least, I was…

Raven paused in her account, and Yang felt the comb slow down a little. She said nothing, listening attentively to everything her mother told her with a monotonous, almost sad voice.

-Remember the story of the silver-eyes warriors? In this story, I told you there was a wizard. Same as in all the other stories I've told you.

Yang nodded slightly. She had heard dozens of stories about magic since she was a little girl, and the characters of the reincarnated wizard and the witch who controlled the Grimm were almost always present. And because she knew these stories were as real as magic, so were these two people.

-In his current life, this wizard is called Ozpin. He's the headmaster of Beacon, and he already was when my brother and I went there.

-You have a brother?

-Yes, a brainless moron named Qrow…

Oh, so he was the famous Qrow? The one who left the tribe? And he was her mother's brother? And they went to Beacon? Raven was once a Huntress?

-In the Huntsmen Academies, students are put in teams of four people, for the four years of their schooling. I was with my brother, Qrow, your father, Tai, and a girl with silver eyes. Her name was Summer Rose. At first she wasn't very good at fight, actually, she barely had the level, and she cruelly lacked self-confidence. But Ozpin didn't care. He needed silver-eyes warriors on his side, and they were so rare that he jumped on every opportunity to have one under his control. But even if Summer has greatly improved in combat, she never mastered her power. She activated it once, without understanding how, and never knew how to do it again. Ozpin don't appreciate having a useless pawn. So he did everything he could to get a new one. See, silver eyes are hereditary, systematically, so he thought that if Summer, who was so faithful to his cause, could have a child, he would have a new pawn.

Raven's voice was hard and filled with venom as she spoke of this Ozpin, and she passed the comb more forcefully. You could almost feel her hatred towards him in the air. It was the first time Yang saw her mother so upset, so angry.

-But Summer only had eyes for one person… Your father. And we were already married. But Ozpin didn't give a damn as long as he get what he wanted…

Raven stopped combing, and Yang felt her begin to tremble.

-For months, that bastard manipulated us all. It was progressive, at first everything seemed normal, no one noticed anything. But I saw it. Tai was always more sent on a mission with Summer, always less with me, always out of step with each other, we could barely see each other and they spent more and more time together. Ozpin didn't need Summer and Tai to love each other, he just needed her to get pregnant, so he could have her child under his control…

A heavy silence fell on the tent. Raven was shaking with rage. Then she took a deep breath, and began to comb the long silky hair of Yang, who listened silently to her mother's story.

-I was the first and only one to realize it. We all had blind faith in him at that time, no one would have believed me without proof. I would have been called paranoid or possessive. So I went to confront Ozpin himself, and he didn't even deny it. He only said it was necessary for victory. He was willing to do anything to win against _her…_

-The witch?

-Salem.

-Oh …

-Ozpin was confident, our team had always obeyed him, no one would have been on my side for mere suspicions, neither Qrow nor Tai, and certainly not Summer, whom he had pampered and put forward all her schooling, he had become like a father to her. So I closed my mouth, I kept silent, and I believed in them to understand in time, to see how manipulated they were. But before that chance came, _you_ arrived. From the moment I learned I was pregnant, the first second I put my hand on my belly, I knew it was out of the question for you to grow up near this man, it was out of the question that my baby was another of his pawns good to sacrifice as we all had been. If I had stayed, you would have been in danger near him. So I left. I let Ozpin get what he wanted. I even kept his actions a secret so he would leave me alone and not try to silence me. I abandoned them all… I wanted to keep you away from Ozpin and his war. I never wanted to take you away from your father…

Raven laid the comb on the table and Yang turned to look at her. She wasn't crying, but her face was a mixture of guilt, rage, and fear.

-For people growing up in the Kingdoms, a six-year-old child is too young to take any important decision, but you are different. You had to grow up fast, you are much more mature than them, and above all, you are not ignorant of the hidden dangers of this world. Then… Now… if you want to meet your father, go live with him and have a normal life… I won't stop you. You're free to choose. All I want is for you to be happy.

Yang looked down a few moments, and then looked at her mother again with a hard, almost angry look.

-Are they the ones who make you cry?

Raven looked at her with surprise, opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, and closed her eyes with a sigh.

-Yes.

-So I'm not leaving.

-Yang-…

-I don't care about them, my family is here, not there.

Before Raven could add anything, Yang rolled her arms around her mother's neck.

-I will always believe you, and I will always be on your side. I'll never let you down, mom. I promise.

Raven didn't know what to say. Tears began to flow in silence as she gave her daughter a trembling embrace.

-I love you little bird… I love you so much…

* * *

It was sunny that morning. Several days had passed since the discussion between Raven and Yang, and since then, the latter has given even more time to the activities of the tribe.

Yang didn't care about her father, she never needed him and that wasn't going to change. He didn't even know she existed. Besides, he wasn't her family. The tribe was her family, they had seen her grow, take her first steps, say her first words, it was Ramy who had taught her to eat balanced and not be difficult with food, it was Vernal who discreetly brought her candies from her raids and watching over her when Raven was busy with the tribe.

And above all, it was Raven, her mother, who had always done everything possible to protect her and make her happy, even turn her back on people she cared about, and suffer in silence for years.

Yang was not like them, they were not her family, she belonged to the Branwen tribe, she was born among them, she was fighting for them. She didn't care about an uncle who abandoned his tribe, or a father who made her mother cry. And Summer? She was just a privileged girl who lived in a fairy tale with her Prince Charming, too foolish to see that she was being manipulated like a puppet!

Yang didn't want these people as a family, the one she had wasn't perfect, but she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

* * *

It was a full moon that night. When was the last time Raven looked at the sky so peacefully?

Since she had spoken to Yang, she felt much lighter, freed from a weight that constantly weighed on her conscience. She had been so afraid that Yang would hate her for prevented her from seeing her father until then, and that she would go and live with him. But she stayed, her little bird was still on her side, of her own free will, without being manipulated. Yang _w__anted _to stay with her. She promised her… The easy promise of a six-year-old, of course, but it was enough to change something in her, as if a wall she had placed between them just fell…

Nevertheless, Raven was still worried. Yang had seemed angry at her father, almost hating him. Yet Tai did nothing wrong in this story, nor did Summer, it was all Ozpin's fault. Yang didn't know her father or the rest of team STRQ, but she decided not to give them a chance because they had made her mother cry. This wasn't what Raven wanted, but she didn't dare to answer her by lying. After all, it was Ozpin's lies and half-truths that had pushed her away from him, it would be hypocritical to act like him. Raven may be many things, but she wasn't a hypocrite, especially not with her daughter, she gave her all the information she had, gave her the choice of who she wanted to follow, and if Yang would have decided to go to her father, Raven wouldn't have stop her, she would have respected her decision, and she would always do so, even if it hurt.

And it would hurt even more from now, because that barrier she had placed between herself and the world, which prevented her from letting her emotions and weaknesses appear, had fallen in front of Yang.

* * *

-We'll be back in five days, you know what you have to do.

-Yes mom.

-Good.

Raven ruffled her daughter's hair, put on her helmet, and went out of the tent. Yang followed her through the camp to the entrance, a group of the best fighters of the tribe was awaiting for them. Raven joined them, gave her last instructions, and set off for the next raid. The crowd gradually dispersed, and each returned to their activities. Yang did the same, following Ramy to the food supply.

-Pass me that crate on your right.

-Yes sir!

-Thanks. Here, carry this for me, it's stew tonight.

Yang grabbed the cabbage crate without complaining and carried it to another part of the camp. Three crates were arranged in an arc around an extinguished fire, above which was suspended a large pot. Without being asked, the little blonde took a knife and began cutting a potato. She didn't need to be told what to do, she knew what a stew needed. Unlike almost everyone else, she didn't have specific tasks assigned to her, so during the day, when she wasn't training, she would help everywhere, laundry, storage, cooking. Wherever you could use a hand. In the Branwen tribe camp, everyone was getting their hands dirty!

-I can't wait to go on raid…

-Oh wait to take a few inches for that!

Yang frowned and raised her middle finger, as she had already seen several members of the tribe do it when someone annoyed them. Ramy laughed loudly.

-Our lil' princess is getting character! That's good, but you should avoid doing this in front of your mother, or she won't stop until kicking his ass to the poor guy who taught you that!

-But everyone does it…

-Here yes, but normally, a kid your age shouldn't even be allowed to approach a blade.

Yang blinked, then looked at the knife in her hand. It was a normal kitchen knife, it was nothing dangerous. Ramy understood what she was thinking and, taking another potato from the crate, explained to her in his grave voice.

-I know it may sound weird to you, but you know, life in the Kingdoms, or even in the small villages outside, is very different from here. People live in peace and idleness, protected by the "valiant Huntsmen" who fight the Grimm and the criminals for them. They don't need to learn to defend themselves physically, let alone fight. Parents pamper their children, treat them like kings, fragile little things, and keep them out of harm's way. "Don't let go of my hand," "Don't talk to strangers," "Don't touch that, it's dangerous." Pff… And then they're surprised that they get butchered when entering Academies. Of the hundreds of children who attend the entrance ceremony, not even half emerges from the initiation in one piece.

-Initiation? Is it hard?

-Not really, the problem is that the kids are absolutely unprepared, and it's getting worse. Back in my day, we entered the prep-schools at ten years old and graduated of eighteen, or even nineteen for the most cautious, before entering the real Academies, but they reshaped the rules now. When your mother went to Beacon, the age of entry there was seventeen, and one of her buddies had even been taken to fifteen for I-don't-know-what reason.

-Was my mother a Huntress before she joined the tribe? Just like you?

-No, we sent her there.

-What do you mean?

-She was a little older than you when she arrived. In the time, the Grimm were often a problem for us during raids, but it was manageable, it was the Huntsmen who really pissed us off. We needed a counter-force, and who better to kill a Huntsman than another Huntsman? Civilians may be morons, but we have to admit that their Academies teach really well. You should have seen your mother when she came back! The former chief tested her against the strongest of the tribe, and she dismantled them all one by one! Ah I hadn't laughed like that for so long…!

-I'm not surprised. Mom is the strongest, no one can beat her.

-Oh to my knowledge, there's a guy who could match her level.

-Really? Who?

Ramy finished cutting the last potato from the crate, and threw it all in the pot.

-It's not for me to tell you about this. Here, go and get me some water.

Yang blew, disappointed at not having an answer to her question, and grabbed a bucket, before heading to the camp's water supply. Ramy watched her walk away, the little girl he had seen grow, as he had seen her mother grow before her. A raucous little laugh escaped from his throat as he began to cut a tomato.

-It doesn't make me any younger…

* * *

Life at the camp during raids was boring, there wasn't much to do when nearly a third of the tribe was gone. The day at least, in the evening, it was another matter. Usually Yang ate with her mother in their tent, but during raid periods, rather than eating alone, she preferred to eat with everyone in the main square, sitting on one of the logs around a large campfire. No one really listened to each other because everyone was talking and laughing at the same time, creating a joyful cacophony that was to be heard throughout the continent. And Yang laughed with them, naturally.

-Hey princess! Reflex!

Without further warning, an apple crossed the circle, passing in a straight line over the fire, ending in Yang's hand. Of course, the target was her head. She had a mocking laugh as she began to blow up the fruit with her hand.

-Is that all you can do, Shay?

Shay D. Mann, the last to arrive in the tribe. He was in his early twenties and, not yet accustomed to the camp's unspoken rules, was constantly trying to establish his authority through intimidation. It was so childish that Yang wanted to burst out laughing the first time she saw him do it. She liked him. He was funny to watch. Especially when he was drunk.

-Pff! Not bad for a peep-squeak. But I'm sure you-… Ouch!

-The peep-squeak tells you to fuck off!

-You bi-…!

-Dude stop, she's Raven's daughter, your ego won't get over it when she'll kick your ass…

-What? You think this thing has a chance against me? Ah! Come on kid, let me see what you can do!

-No fight during meals!

-Don't worry Ramy, I'll be quick!

-You really want to be put back in your place, princess? I'm happy to take care of it!

-Come here, I'm waiting!

-Oh I give up…

With a tired sigh, Ramy sat down, receiving a compassionate pat on the shoulder. He may have been appreciated and respected by all, but he clearly didn't have Raven's ability to be obeyed. Then, seeing the kid and the new one get closer by cracking their fingers, he took his bowl and started to eat, waiting for the show to begin. He still could enjoy it as well.

After turning around for a few moments to the enthusiastic applause of their audience, the two bandits threw themselves at each other. But as everyone expected, Shay didn't hold on very long in front of their leader's daughter. She dodged his first punch with disconcerting ease, then jumped to give him a magnificent kick right in the jaw, knocking him out on the spot.

As cheers and mocking laughter echoed everywhere, Yang returned to sit proudly frolicking and returned to eating. It was a breeze for her!

-Hey, I found his tooth!

A new great burst of laughter sounded like a music between the sharp logs that encircled the camp.

When the meal ended, everyone gradually returned to their business, some threw arm-wrestles, others began to play cards, the next group replaced the guards who had remained at the entrance so they too could go to eat, and those too drunk to put one foot in front of the other were brought back to their tents before they unleashed a general fight. It had already happened and they had almost suffered from a Grimm attack…

Yang, after helping those drudgery collect and clean dishes, walked to the main tent she shared with her mother. Having not planned to go to bed immediately, she began to look for a match for the candlestick placed on the table.

-Mom should bring a lamp one day…

Not finding the matches in their usual place, she began to rummage through every potential hiding place, along with the mapping equipment, in Dust blades reserve, even in the toiletries. As a last resort, she looked into the trunk under her mother's bed, where she stored all her personal belongings. Raven never forbade Yang to touch it, as an ordinary parent would, so it didn't matter if she took a look, right?

Clothes, weapon maintenance equipment, a gun surely for emergencies, a survival knife, jewelry and ornaments more or less precious that she wore on special occasions… No, no matches.

But, there was a flashlight. It would be enough. Yang bent down to catch it, spreading the various objects on her way. But when she put her hand on the handle of the lamp, she accidentally turned it on, illuminating the entire bottom of the trunk. She was going to take out the torch, when something caught her attention. Returning to her mother's belongings, she took out a photo. It was the first time she saw one, she knew the principle, but she had never seen it with her own eyes, except for the illustrations in books.

In the light of the lamp, she examined the image more closely. There were four people, including Raven, even though she looked a little younger. Next to her was a man with a long white shirt and a red cape, and a large sword on his shoulder. He had black hair, but the quality of the photo made it hard to distinguish the color of his eyes. On the other side of Raven, there was a curly blond man leaning against a tree, dressed in yellow and orange, and when she concentrated, she could see he had blue eyes. There was something familiar about him. And finally, on the other side of the tree, there was a girl, she wore a very large white cape that hid her almost entirely, leaving only a piece of her face and the tip of her skirt that floated in the wind. It was quite ridiculous, it looked like she had been thrown a big white sheet on her and she had not removed it yet. There wasn't much else to say about her, other than that she seemed to have dark red hair and gray eyes.

Yang turned the photo over and saw a note with her mother's handwriting.

-« STRQ »…?

* * *

The day began to decline when the gate opened. As always, the procession was greeted with cheers as it passed through the camp, gradually dispersing. Yang followed her mother to their tent and, as usual, waited patiently for her mother to allow her to do so before throwing herself into her arms to hug her, then settling down to have a well-deserved cup of tea and tell her mother what she had missed.

-And his tooth was gone! But he had already fainted so he didn't react. And I didn't even have to use my Semblance!

-That's good, I'm proud of you.

Yang smiled and continued to drink her tea. Raven did the same, enjoying the warmth of her drink after a tiring day's work. A well-deserved moment of calm and rest that she enjoyed every time.

-By the way, Mom.

-Mmm?

-What is "STRQ"?

Raven choked on her tea and coughed several times before catching her breath.

-Where did you hear about this?!

-It was written on the back of a photo.

-A pho-... Yang, did you go through my things?

-I was just looking for matches…

Raven sighed as she massaged her head. Thinking she thought she was done with all of this…

-Mom?

-STRQ … was the name of my team at Beacon… and the people with me in this photo were my teammates, your uncle, your father and… Summer.

-Oh…

Yang looked down on her cup and continued to drink in silence. Raven watched her do it, a hint of disappointment in her gaze. She would almost have preferred to be assailed by a million questions rather than see such indifference, such rejection. Raven was just like her before Beacon, looking with disdain for everything that wasn't the tribe, without getting to know first and without imagining a change of mind one day. STRQ changed that. Ozpin too, but not in the same way. Huntress or not, going to Beacon was one of the best things that ever happened to her. Maybe she should send Yang there when she's older? It would be beneficial for her to discover the rest of the world, and she would be old enough not to be influenced by Ozpin. In addition, Summer's child must have been only two years younger, if he looked a little like his mother, he could help Yang open up.

-Mom… Do you still love him?

The question caught Raven off guard, but she already knew the answer. After all, she always wore her wedding ring, the only trace left that there had ever been someone in her life. The only trace besides Yang.

-Yes. Yes I still love him. I loved him with all my heart, but now there's one person I love even more. The most precious thing I've ever had, and that takes more space in my heart-...

-…-that anyone else in this world.

-Exactly.

Even though she heard it many times before, Raven knew her daughter had not yet understood the depth of these words, how true they were, all they meant. Yang passed above everything else for her, before STRQ, before Salem, even before the tribe. There was nothing in this world that mattered more than her smile. She might have had a more carefree life with her father, and Raven knew that if she had waited to have her baby before leaving, if she had seen Tai's happy face holding her for the first time, she wouldn't have had the courage to take that away from them, both of them. But with Ozpin's threats looming over her, she had no choice but to leave, or she would have become crazy and put her family in danger.

The entrance curtain of the tent rose, and one of the tribesmen timidly passed his head inside. Raven beckoned him in, and two plates of vegetables and meat were placed on the table. The bandit retired in silence, while his chef and heiress began to eat, their dishes filled with food reported from the last raid. Only at that moment Raven realized she still had blood on her skirt, almost invisible on the black fabric. She would have to think about washing it.

-Mom.

-Yes Yang?

-Can you bring me a camera from the next raid? I want to have a photo of just the two of us.

A few weeks earlier, Raven would have smiled tenderly and ruffled her hair. Today, without a barrier to contain her emotions, she almost had tears in her eyes.

-Yes, of course… Anything you want, little bird…

Something had changed in Raven, something had disappeared, replaced by a warm light, as blinding as the sun.

* * *

**That's it!**

**Well, I'm telling you right now, you just found out my version of the reason for Raven's departure ****_IN M_****_Y_****_ FIC!_** **That's not what I think happened in the anime! I have my theories but they have nothing to do with the fic so… **

**On the other hand, I intend to press a point that bothers me a lot in the anime, the age difference between Yang and Ruby. Am I really the only one who thinks there is a problem? I mean, two years apart, that means Ruby was conceived when Yang was, ****at the very maximum,**** one year and a few months. So even assuming ****t****hat Raven really left right after Yang was born, it still doesn't leave much time for Tai to recover from the fact that his wife abandoned him with their daughter (especially if it's right after the birth), gets back in a relationship with the ****wife's**** friend, and makes another kid with ****her****. **

**Oh yes, I warn you, I really ****dislike**** Summer, I think it is felt in this chap, and I intend to press the fact that she is one of the worst friends in the world! Especially in the fics where she ****afford** **_to want_** **Raven to come back when she stole her husband and daughter after only a few months! Who would come back to that frankly?!**

**… **

**Sorry, I ****flared up****, but you just found out one of the points that make me have a lot of empathy for Raven, and that I'm going to highlight through Yang, who here will know h****er**** mother much better than in the anime.**

**Anyway, see you next week!**


	3. Chap 3 : Dry blood under the summer sun

**Hi ****everyone!**

**Here's your third chapter, and I'm honestly surprised of how many you are to read it! I guess it means my English is ****not so bad****? ****n_n' Seriously, I don't know what to say so just THANK YOU! I'm even more motivated now! **

**And I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who think Summer is not as pure and innocent as people seem to think, I almost expected ****to be scold in the reviews because everyone seem to really like her and I don't**** n_n'**

**Anyway****, I do****n'****t hold you ****here ****any longer, good reading!**

* * *

.

-You've got everything, you're sure?

-For the tenth time mom, yes!

-Okay, okay.

Yang put her bag on her back, and Raven watched her with a nostalgic smile. Her daughter's first raid, at the age of eight. She was so proud, and yet very worried, she had spent the week talking to Yang, explaining to her what she could and should take, who and when she would have to fight, in what part of the village she would go, when to retreat to avoid the Grimms, etc… Eight years was young, and she doubted a little that Yang was ready, but she was already very good at fighting and was even more mature than some members of the tribe. Everyone thought she had the level to participate, she had earned their respect by her prowess, and established herself as their future leader. She should be ready… And she always had stars in her eyes when she saw the others come back and talk about their raids, she looked at them with envy when they left, and she often talked about the day when she would finally be _worthy_ to go with them. Raven had not been able to resist…

-Ready?

-Ready!

-Good.

Raven put on her helmet and walked out of the tent, followed by Yang, who was impatient but stood upright with her head held high as she walked proudly alongside her mother.

* * *

Many people were at the entrance, all armed and loaded with large bags. It was the middle of summer, the harvests had just been made, and the bandits only had to take it. Yang was holding back from jumping on the spot, too impatient by the idea of her first raid. She was eight years old today, it was the perfect timing, and when they would return, she would be considered an adult in the eyes of the tribe, no longer a little princess pampered by her mother, she would be a real fighter. Eight years instead of ten! She couldn't wait!

On the other hand, she didn't understand why everyone seemed worried about her, they knew she could fight, she was even stronger than many of them, and all said she was on track to succeed her mother. So why did they make those faces when they saw her take part in her first raid earlier? Instead, they should have been impressed and happy for her.

Raven passed the group, and her sword split the space to create a portal. As Yang wouldn't be in the camp to serve as an inking point on the way back, the bandits' leader decided to buy time on the way, sending Vernal a few days in advance. It was pretty risky, because the timing had to be perfect, but she was Raven's disciple, she'd make it. Normally, it would only take them a short hour's walk to reach the target village, so they would be close enough to not be spotted before the attack. There they would surround them, and attack from all sides at the same time, Raven would begin by looking after the Huntsmen who would try to annoy them, a pre-selected group would be tasked with plundering their food supply, and the others would take everything they wanted in the houses.

Yang had been waiting for this moment for so long, she memorized everything perfectly to make sure not to make a mistake!

The procession passed the gate, ending up in a clearing in the middle of the forest, and started, Raven in front, Vernal next to her, and Yang just behind. Perfect timing. The march was long and silent, the bandits usually so noisy were barely making a noise when they walked. The aim was not to attract Grimm, they would ruin everything and reveal their presence to the villagers. Yang did her best to imitate them, as her mother taught her, but it was harder than she thought, even with training. Nevertheless, no Grimm spotted them, and each group reached its location safely.

All were crouching behind the bushes, waiting for the signal. Yang's hands trembled, she was both frightened and overexcited, she could feel a shiver up her back, a craving for thrills. She could hardly stay in place, she wanted to break down the wooden fence that surrounded the village, start fighting, feel the adrenaline all over her body…!

And suddenly the light disappeared, the blue sky of summer was invaded in the space of a few moments by storm clouds. For normal people, it was a sign of rain and that they had to take shelter at home, for the bandits, it was the work of their Maiden, their signal to start attacking.

With her dagger in her hand, Yang was one of the first to cross the palisade with a big smile on her face.

After only a few seconds, screams of horror echoed through the streets, people running, trying to escape their attackers, while corpses were already beginning to litter the streets.

The little blonde wasn't even looking around while she was doing what she was supposed to do. Enter a house, kill the inhabitants if she met them, and take anything she wanted. She was a little nervous about the "kill" part, she never killed a human before, or a Faunus, but it couldn't be harder than killing a Grimm. Except she never killed a Grimm either… Oh, and she'd be fine at the moment!

With a kick, she broke down the front door of a small house with a swing and a pool in the garden, the interior was very sober, the living room was decorated only with photos and flower pots, but the staircase that seemed to lead to the floor announced more possibilities. Up there, she found a first room with a large bed and a wardrobe, opened it and found only clothes and shoes too big for her. But her attention was drawn to the beautiful golden pocket mirror on the bedside table. With a quick gesture, she stuffed it in her bag. The first thing she took in a raid. With a little joyous squeak, she quickly passed to the next room.

It was the bathroom, there was a bathtub, a sink, and a large mirror hanging on the wall in front of the door. For the first time in her life, Yang saw her entire reflection, she had always looked at herself in water or on the flat of her dagger. She never realized how much she looked like her mother, with black hair and red eyes she would be a perfect miniature version. And her blonde hair wasn't as ugly as she thought. But she didn't have time to admire herself, the raid didn't last forever. In front of her, the sink was filled with bottles of all kinds, liquid soaps, toothpastes, perfumes… She never had a perfume. Knowing that her time was limited, she seized the one with a rose-shaped decoration, and continued her search. She would take longer when she could better assess the time taken by raids.

The last room was also a bedroom, but very different from the first. There were two beds, one above the other, posters for various combat schools around Mistral and small Figurines of Grimm. There were also a lot of toys that hung around, balls, cars and stuffed animals mainly. There was also a shelf with books, but only about things like History and Mathematics. She preferred novels, even if reading wasn't her favorite hobby. There was also another shelf with "swimming" trophies. Was it exceptional to know how to swim? She could fly, and no one gave her a trophy for it. Again, she glanced into the closet, this time the clothes were at her waist, some looked a little bigger but not too much. Many caught her attention, such as a black leather jacket or a long dark red shorts, which ended up at the bottom of her bag.

She was going to add a pair of brand new black sneakers when a noise on the stairs reached her ears. Now she thought about it, she didn't met anyone. The noises were quickly approaching, so Yang drew her dagger. For a moment she thought she heard a noise coming from behind her, but she had no time to check, for a man with graying blue hair was in the doorway with a kitchen knife in his hands, and a furious air on the face.

-You're with those out there, aren't you?! What did you do with my sons?!

His sons? Oh, that was surely their room. But she hadn't seen them, they should be outside, and so already dead. The man did not seem to take his lack of answer well, for he threw himself at her with his knife pointed forward. She dodged him by shifting and turning on herself, and was about to knock him out by hitting him at the temple with the handle of her dagger, taking advantage of her momentum, when she remembered in full motion that she was supposed to _kill_ those she met who were not from the tribe. Then, with apprehension, she lowered her arm down at the man's throat, and cut it like butter.

The blood splattered her clothes slightly as the man collapsed beside her, giggling for a few moments, before not moving at all. Yang looked with empty eyes at the growing puddle of blood, her heart was beating faster and faster, her breathing was getting stronger, and she could feel her stomach violently contract, but she was cut off when a noise in her back surprised her. By pure instinct, she turned around at full speed, swinging her dagger forcefully in the move. A second body fell at her feet, a black-haired boy who should be just a little older than her, surely one of the sons of the man she had just -…

This time, no intervention prevented her from vomiting, and she was even surprised to have the reflex not to do so on the two corpses at her feet. Her hand trembled as she put her dagger in her holster hanging from her belt, with no intention of taking it out again. Quickly wiping her mouth on the bottom of her T-shirt, already stained with blood, she looked in the direction from which the boy had arrived, namely the bed. She crouched down and looked down, and found another boy, blue-haired this time, curled up and trembling, eyes closed and in tears.

Yang was supposed to kill him too, it would be easy, he wouldn't even defend himself, but she didn't have the strength, she was already struggling to get up, and leave the room. As she crossed the hallway, she passed the bathroom, which she had left the door wide open, overlooking the large mirror to the wall. Her beige T-shirt was dirty now, splashed with hot blood on the sides and vomit on the bottom. And her eyes were red, she activated her Semblance without realizing it. She noticed that the red of her eyes was not the same as her mother's, it was too bright, too hot. Yet, at that moment, she felt in a lethargic state, and the brilliance of her Semblance didn't change that. She switched it off, and staggered down. Downstairs, she sat down on the last steps and looked at her hands, also stained with blood.

She had been told that the raids were not as "fun" as she expected, and she knew she would have to kill, she was prepared for it. Or at least she thought she was.

_-What have I done...?_

* * *

A thunderbolt resounded in the sky, it was the order of retreat. Raven walked to the exit of the village, a bag full of stolen items on her shoulders, without sparing a look at the Huntress lying on the ground. It wasn't the first time she killed one of them, and her policy was to spare those who managed to impress her. This girl couldn't even kill a Nevermore.

With her back straight and her hand on the handle of her sword, she walked through the bloodied village, ignoring the many corpses of all ages on the aisles and the few buildings on fire, she was used to it. At the entrance, a good part of her troops had already gathered, the latecomers were expected. Seeing her arrive, the bandits parted on her path in order to let her pave the way for their departure. As she advanced to the front of the group, Raven quietly glanced at the sides through the slits of her mask, looking for a little blonde head, no more that "little" after that day.

Finally she saw her a little behind in the left group, at the end of the aisle created for her passage. She approached her mother and walked with her in front of everyone, as she had always done, but this time she stared at an invisible point on the ground, air elsewhere and trembling hands, and, like almost everyone around her, with blood that was not not his on his clothes. Raven could easily imagine why, and it broke her heart. She shouldn't have taken Yang on a raid so soon, she still remembered Qrow's reaction at the time, and he was older, and already used to death, literally fighting to survive. Yang had grown up in the security of the camp, without questioning what was going on outside.

It was a mistake, the biggest Raven ever made. She had seen how excited and eager Yang was to go on a raid, how it made her smile, so she had taken her early, too early, not prepared enough, not savvy enough, just to see her smile. She should have started by having her kill a Grimm, show her what the villages they were going to destroy looked like, then confront her with death for the very first time, and only then take her on a raid. But she had screwed it all up, she had been irresponsible and had given in to her daughter's dumb whims, imagining that growing up in the tribe would enough for her. And here's the result. Real "Mom of the Year"…

After a long walk and a few encounters with Grimm heading towards the village, the bandits reached the clearing through which they arrived. They were far enough away not to be caught by the Mistralian police, provided they didn't stay here forever. Everyone needed a rest before embarking on the journey home, so everyone sat at the foot of a tree or on a rock, and all began to joke about their new finds, jewelry, weapons, everyday stuff, or even just money.

Yang walked away from the group, something she never did, and sat silently behind a tree, close enough to hear the departure signal, but far enough away not to be disturbed. Raven walked up to her and sat by her side, leaving her some space. They stayed that way for a few minutes, without a word. Finally, after this long silence, Yang was the first to speak.

-Mom, I… I… The man, I k-… I was about to knock him out and…I remember you said… I just…

With each word, her voice trembled a little more, getting closer to a sob. Raven said nothing and hugged her, gently stroking her hair with one hand. Yang eventually cracks and bursts into tears.

-I was so scared! It happened so fast, I just moved my arm and he fell! A-And the other boy came and my arm moved on its own! And there was so much blood on the floor I…! I'm sorry! I can't do this again! I can't do it but…! But I don't want to be a burden for everyone either! I...!

Luckily, they were far enough away that no one heard Yang's explosion, she was now crying with tears, her head sunk in her mother's chest, clinging to her clothes with all her might. Raven had not flinched, she let her do so, and just stroked her back and passed her hand in her hair.

-Hush… Everything's fine, Yang. It's not your fault.

-But I-…

Raven cut her by grabbing her chin to make her raise her head and look her in the eye, and moved her hand over her cheek, wiping away a tear. She hated seeing her daughter cry, she preferred to see her smile. But her baby had to grow up one day. Unfortunately, that day had come too soon.

-Listen, Yang, it's true that during the raids, you'll have to kill, whether you like it or not. You can avoid it sometimes, but it will always be more complicated and risky, because as long as a person is alive they can try to attack you, and you won't always be able to defend yourself. Killing is the solution of ease, a radical and irreversible way to get rid of someone. That is _not_ a good thing.

-So why…?

Yang bowed her head and put it on Raven's shoulder, who began to put her hand in her hair again.

-There's no real reason, it's just like that. I know it's difficult the first time, it can seem cruel and barbaric. It's not for nothing that we hide in the heart of the forest behind a huge barrier, that the people who live in the Kingdoms consider us criminals. Bandits are feared and hated because they kill innocent people and loot peaceful villages for their own sake. That's how, in the eyes of the world, someone who chooses to become a bandit can't be a good person.

-But everyone is so nice in the tribe…

-I never said that the world was right, on the contrary, it is full of injustices. People judge without knowing, they don't know that some had lives close to hell and were saved by joining us, they don't know that many of those they consider "good" are actually worse than us, they don't know that we are capable to have honor and mercy. They only see killers and thieves, because that's what it's like to be a bandit. When you look at the tribe, what do you see?

-… I… I don't know…

-So take your time to think about it.

Raven laid a kiss on Yang's forehead and got up to return with the rest of the group, giving the starting signal. She could have told her that the weak die and the strong live. She should have told her. But this mantra was rooted in the wall that separated her from the world, a wall that no longer existed with Yang.

* * *

It was the third day of the return journey, and there were three more left, the village being quite far from the camp. In a month, they would move further south, in anticipation of the cold season. Yang had not spoken to her mother since the raid, still not knowing what to say. What did she see when she looked at the tribe? She saw just what she had always seen, people she saw every day, people who had seen her grow, some even were there when she was still in her mother's womb. And she loved them all, they were her family. Even if they killed people…

The vision of the two corpses at her feet came back, and Yang had to hold back from returning her last meal. For the umpteenth time since that day, she looked at her hands, imagining that the blood was still there.

_-__B__andits are feared and hated because they kill innocent people and loot peaceful villages for their own sake._

The word bandit never had much meaning for Yang, she was born in a tribe of bandits, she grown up in a tribe of bandits, her mother was a bandit, her whole family were bandits, she knew no one who was not a bandit.

But all these people in the village, if they were not bandits, what were they then?

-Innocent people…

"Innocent", someone who is not guilty, someone who has done nothing wrong, someone who is not at fault.

_-Everything's fine Yang. It's not your fault._

She had only done what she had been told.

_-They only see killers and thieves. _

She did steal and kill, like all the other members of the tribe.

_-I don't care about them, my family is here, not there. _

If there was one thing that would not change, it was this one. The tribe was her family, and she loved them all with all her heart, she wanted to stand by them and support them, without being a burden.

_-Who's Qrow?_

_-__He__'s… a former member of the tribe… wh__o__… __left__?_

Qrow. He was no longer in the tribe, but he had been, he had killed and robbed, he had been a bandit, he was no longer, but he could not be an innocent either. If you weren't a bandit or an innocent man, what were you?

-Hey Yang!

Yang startled, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even noticed Vernal's approach. The latter ruffled her hair and put something in her hands. It was a bag of marshmallows, her favorite candy.

-I thought I'd give it to you when we got home, but you don't seem to be in the mood since the raid. I thought it would help you.

Yang looked at the candy in her hands. Six pink and white marshmallows were wrapped in a transparent white fabric with jagged edges, closed by a purple ribbon. Who did it belonged to before it arrive to her…?

_-Someone who's dead._

The image of blood flowing on the floor almost caused her to retch.

-Thank you but… I'm not very hungry at the moment.

As she put the bag in her backpack, full of stolen items, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She raised her head, Vernal looked at her with an affectionate smile.

-Yang, you can talk to me, you know, I wasn't much older than you when I first raided.

Yang stopped walking, and then, realizing that everyone was still moving forward, ran back to Vernal's level.

-Ten years, right?

-Eleven, and even then it was difficult. We've all been there, wondering why we'd kill innocent people. That's what you're worried about, isn't it?

Yang nodded, even though the "innocent" part still seemed fuzzy to her.

-I see. Anyway, don't take your head off, just do what you want.

Vernal walked away to reprimand two bandits who seemed about to fight.

-What I want…

Instinctively, Yang looked up at the sky. There was virtually no cloud. The sun was hitting hard. She wanted to fly. Discreetly, she walked away from the procession.

* * *

-Ruby Rose! Come back here right now!

-But Mommy! I've got my cape!

-I don't care! You won't escape sunscreen!

-But I don't like it!

Summer sighed as her daughter refused to come and sit under the umbrella. She was not wrong saying that she was protected with her cape, but that was no reason to disobey her mother!

_-Come on Summer! You've been a team leader, you __can __get a modicum of authority over a child not even six years old!_

-Ruby! Last warning! If you don't come and put on sunscreen now, we're going home!

-What?! No! I want to stay at the beach!

-No cream, no sun.

Summer had a little satisfied smile as her daughter finally came to her, dragging her feet and occasionally giving a little shot in a shell. She was lovely.

-And … Done! See? It wasn't that hard.

-I don't like sunscreen...

-Oh stop pampering a little. Come on, go have fun now, I'm sure there are plenty of beautiful treasures hidden in the sand.

-Yes!

And Ruby ran back to the water's edge, still with her red cape on her shoulders, even in her swimsuit.

-She's so cute!

-Quite agree Mrs. Rose.

-Ah! Ozpin?! For pity's sake don't scare me like that!

The grey-haired man laughed softly and turned his gaze again to the silver-eyed little girl, who seemed to have begun the construction of a sand castle. Oh sorry, a "hospital for baby crabs." She was doing well, she seemed to have a gift for engineering.

-So, have you thought about my offer?

-Yes, and… I'm not sure, Beacon is far enough away from Patch, I'd rather wait for Ruby to enter Signal Academy before I get away as much.

-I understand. Any mother would want to stay by her child's side and make sure he is safe, that's to your credit.

-Oh for pity Oz, don't say things like that, I feel old…

-At only twenty-eight years old? What am I supposed to say then?

-You don't count, Mr. Wizard. And anyway, given the age of your current body, I'm sure I'll see you as a teenager a d-... OH MY GOD RUBY DON'T APPROACH THIS JELLYFISH IT'S DANGEROUS!

* * *

The camp was finally in sight. Despite the trees, the place was quite visible when you got close to it, and anyway, the noise and smoke betrayed them. It was the very end of the day, at the same time in winter, it would be dark a long time ago, but places like this were not the type to go to bed early.

Like a well-oiled machine, everyone did what he had to do with the loot they had brought back. Yang mechanically followed her mother to their tent. This time, no hot tea waiting for them, no discussion about what they had done in the absence of each other, just a heavy silence. Before Raven could say anything, the little blonde entered her room and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling canvas with an empty look.

She didn't know how long she had been like this. She should have fallen asleep, for when she looked around, it was dark, but she smelled a good smell near her. Lighting the little electric lamp on her bedside table, she saw next to her bed a tray with a cup of tea and a plate of fries accompanied by ham. It was her favorite dish, the one Ramy usually gave her for her birthday. Now that she was thinking about it, her birthday was the day of the raid, so they didn't celebrate it. She had killed for the first time on her eighth birthday.

The festive dish was still hot and the tea steaming, so the whole thing had been deposited not too long ago. As Yang reached out to take the cup, she noticed something, a package wrapped in white cloth, with a small note on it.

-_"I know it wasn't the best birthday in the world, I'm truly sorry. I hope at least your gift will cheer you up, i__t__ helped me when I was in your place. -Mom"_

Yang opened the package without further ceremony, and widened her eyes when she saw what was in her hands.

Passing her head in the main part of the tent, she saw her mother lying in her own bed, turning her back. Slowly she stepped forward, her gift firmly held in her arms.

-Mom?

There's no answer. Not surprisingly, Raven was always exhausted when she returned from a raid. Now Yang could understand it, she too collapsed as soon as she arrived. Sometimes she wondered how her mother had managed her with a child while managing the tribe to perfection. But deep inside, she already knew the answer. She of course noticed the dark circles that formed before her eyes, those moments when, believing herself alone, she drowsy for a few moments, or all the yawns she held all day long. She overworked and kept exceeding her limits for the good of the tribe, and no one saw it. And Yang felt bad about being an extra burden to her.

-Mom…?

Only the slight sound of slow, steady breathing answered her. Yang hugged her gift a little more, a little smile on the corner of her lips, the first in days, even if her mother couldn't see her.

-You're the best mom in the world…

Yang returned to her room and sat down on her bed, contemplating her treasure. It was an old porcelain doll, dressed the old-fashioned way with a large pale pink frilly dress, adorned with black ribbon knots and white beads. She had very pale skin, pink cheeks, purple eyes, and wavy blonde hair tied in a loose braid that rested on her right shoulder. A large black knot adorned the top of its head. All her colors were dull, it should be very old, its right leg had been patched with tape, its dress had been stitched up on all sides, much of the knots and beads were missing, and a large crack was tracing a diagonal of the left corner of its forehead down below its right cheek.

In a bandit camp, to have fun, you drank, you played cards, you had an arm wrestle, you talked, you trained, you broke your friends' teeth. Yang had a teddy bear when she was a baby, but she never really _played_ with it, and it didn't leave its place in a corner of the tent for years. And she had quickly replaced her wooden weapon with a metal one.

The little blonde raised the doll in front of her eyes. It was a toy, old, damaged, useless, bulky, just pretty, very pretty. She loved it even more than her dagger.

* * *

As always, Raven was one of the first in the camp to rise. She had to make the first patrol from the air, wake up those who had to take over the guard, make sure there was enough lunch for everyone, wait until everyone was awake to make sure that no one was missing for any reason, put an end to arguments between those who were already drunk, listen to complaints about the distribution of chores, make sure that everyone did what they had to do, do the inventory of the raid… It was tiring. She was exhausted, and the heat of summer didn't help. Add "check water supplies" to the list.

When she finally returned to her tent, the sun was high in the sky and the lunch was passed. Yang was probably flying to change her mind, she loved it. A small smile appeared on Raven's lips as she reflected on her daughter's face the first time she flied. She was so small at the time and she had grown so much since then. Her blond hair was already coming to her lower back, and it had been a long time since she could take her on her lap, she was a big girl now. A big girl who killed. She had grown but she wasn't ready for that.

It was a mistake Raven was going to fix.

-You asked for me, Raven?

-Yes. I'll be away for a few days, and Yang too. You and Ramy will be in charge of the tribe in my absence. The raid inventory is already done, you shouldn't have too much work to do.

-Okay, I think we can manage.

-Thank you Vernal.

Vernal went out of the tent, leaving Raven alone to wait for Yang to return. She rarely strayed from her tribe, preferring to spend her free time with her daughter. And that was more or less what she was going to do.

In the trunk under her bed, she took some spare belongings, her survival knife, and a packet of Lien. She always collected small amounts of money during raids, she normally didn't need it, away from civilization as she was, but it could still be useful one day or another. That day seemed to have arrived.

She also took her photo of team STRQ, folding it in half before she even looked at it, as well as her old Scroll. It had been off for years, so when she turned it on, the battery was still almost full. She browsed the options a little clumsily, carefully avoiding the photo gallery, and searched for her Huntress license. When she found it, she was surprised to find that it was still valid, as if, Ozpin really hoped to have her back under his orders one day. Too bad for him, she would never.

As she finished putting everything in a shoulder bag, she heard the back of the tent rising. Turning, she saw Yang with dirt on her lap, and… Was it a branch in her hair?

-Bad landing strategy?

Yang blushed and turned her head away. She was about to go back to her room, when her mother's voice held her back.

-Pack your things, we'll leave as soon as you're ready.

-What?

-I'll explain when we get there. It'll only take a few days.

* * *

Yang went to her room to do what her mother asked her. She didn't need to be told what to take, she already knew. Replacement clothing, care kit, dagger, and hairbrush. Her hair was entangled at a staggering speed… Her eyes landed on her new doll. Should she take it too? It wasn't necessary and it would take up space in her bag, but for some inexplicable reason, she wanted to keep it with her.

Once her belongings were packed, she went out of her room and found her mother waiting for her, her own bag already done. Without a word Raven came out the back of the tent, and Yang followed her outside. It was the middle of the day, it was hot, and there was not the slightest wind strap. That's why the little blonde was quite surprised to see her mother turn into a raven and fly over the high palisade that surrounded the camp. She imitated her without a word, and followed her in the air, closer to the heat of the sun.

The journey lasted a long time, Raven made them stop and take a break every hour, but flying for such long periods was still tiring. When they stopped, none of them spoke, they sat for a few minutes to rest, and then left without a word. Yang had no idea where her mother was taking her, so far from the tribe. She had never strayed so far from the camp, except for the raid. Actually, she didn't know what the world was like outside the forest around them. Of course, she had heard about life in the Kingdoms by some members of the tribe, but they all kept saying the same things, people are selfish, they don't know how to do anything on their own, all cowards, and other unflattering things.

Raven went down to the trees. The sun was starting to set and it was the middle of summer, it should be very late. Upon landing, Yang expected to prepare a camp for the night, but it didn't seem to be planned, as her mother continued to walk. They walked silently for a long time as the day was over. Yang didn't complain once, she had more than enough stamina for it, despite her mother's big strides, and something told her that if she asked a question about their destination, she wouldn't have an answer.

Lost in her thoughts, Yang hit her mother's back, having not realized that she stopped, so she shifted, and looked ahead. In the distance were large buildings, but it was too dark and they were still too far away to distinguish more.

-I should have started with that.

Yang turned her head towards her mother. The latter closed her eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath and looked at her daughter.

-Listen to me, Yang, until we're alone, you stand next to me and you don't say anything, understand?

-Yes mom.

-Good… And put your dagger in your bag.

Raven began to walk again, and Yang followed her, even more intrigued. A weapon was supposed to stay within reach, and her mother still had her sword attached to her hip. But she trusted her mother, so she didn't protest and did what she had been told. Anyway, she since the raid, she could no longer hold her dagger properly, her hands trembled too much.

After a short walk, they arrived at the entrance to what Yang recognized as a village, the same kind of village that the tribe had attacked last week. But here there were no deaths in the streets, no gunshots in every direction, no heartbreaking screams, no blood on her clothes. People walked peacefully and chatted with each other, laughed together, some seemed to argue but it didn't alarm anyone, nor did the few drunk people who shaved the walls with a bottle in their hand. Just like in the camp.

Yang followed her mother to a large building with a large wooden sign on which was written "Inn". Inside, there were several tables and chairs, and people sitting drinking or eating. This fact reminded her that she had not eaten anything since lunch… Raven walked to the counter, and an old lady rushed towards her on the other side.

-Good evening ma'am. What can I do for you?

-I would like a room for two, please. For three nights.

-All right, let me see… There, second door on the left on the second floor, room number 17.

-It's perfect, thank you.

-Good evening, ma'am. Oh, and miss.

Yang took a moment to realize that the last comment was addressed to her. Her mother told her not to speak until they were alone, so not knowing what to do, she simply looked away. She heard the old lady say something like "how cute" and then followed Raven to their upstairs room. It was the first time she was in a real building, had thick walls and a solid roof above her head, she had always lived in a tent. Upon entering the room, she saw two beds each with a thick mattress, a thin white floral blanket, a thicker blanket folded properly at one end, and a large white pillow placed on the other. There were two bedside tables with one lamp each, a large floral-patterned wardrobe, and a round table with two chairs on a large dark green carpet. It looked like the illustrations in her history books…

-Yang, come closer.

Like her mother, Yang laid her bag at the foot of the bed that would be hers for the next few days, and came to sit next to her mother. The latter sighed, and looked down upon her daughter, who waited patiently for an explanation.

-Listen, I… made a mistake, when I took you on the raid. Before joining the tribe, even at a very young age, we all lived in small villages like this, or even in the Kingdoms. Some had a life of luxury and others struggled to feed themselves, but we all knew what a "normal" life was, all without exception, because we all _joined_ the tribe, we _chose_ to become bandits, to change our lives. But I forgot that you didn't join us, you were born among us, the normal life for you is that of the camp. And that's a point I've overlooked. So, over the next few days, I want you to find out what a "normal life" looks like, the kind of life that people take as a reference point, the kind of life we _destroy_ during our raids.

Yang swallowed under her mother's gaze. It was true that she never knew anything but life in the camp, she had no idea how people could live outside, and she never wondered. But from there to think that she was the one the one who wasn't "normal"…

Raven ruffled her hair and laid a kiss on the top of her head. Each went to bed in silence, exhausted from their day.

* * *

By habit, Raven woke up first. The sun had been up for a while but it was still early. Although this short trip was intended to introduce Yang to life outside the tribe and to take a step back from their actions during the raids, it could also be akin to a holiday for the leader of the bandits. How long had she not slept in a real bed, with a real mattress, so soft and fluffy? And how long had she not woken up without having to think about the problems that presented themselves to her by the dozens every day? Well, she felt a little guilty about resting by letting her tribe get by, she was their leader after all, she was responsible for them. But she was above all a mother, and she would never have taken this "holiday" if it were not for the sake of her daughter.

In the bed next to hers, Yang was still sleeping with her fists closed, having completely disposed of her blanket because of the heat. Raven smiled when she saw her squeeze her doll against her. She had hesitated a lot before offering her, lest it seemed too childish, and then she remembered that, having grown up in the camp, the little blonde had no reason to think that it was a ridiculous old toy for little girls, like a "normal" child would.

_-__Anyway__, __do __you know Tai and Summer __got__ a kid a year ago?_

That was almost five years ago. Raven realized that she had never inquired about that child, she didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl, she only knew that Yang was about two years older. Actually, she didn't approached Patch since her departure, she had no reason to, she had Yang with her in the tribe, why would she go to hurt herself by seeing how happy the man she loved was without her, with an other? One thing was for sure in any case, their child had the most normal life in the world…

-Mmmh…

-Hello little bird.

-… Hi mom…

-Already awake?

-Hungry…

-Me too. Get dressed, we're eating out.

Yang raised an eyebrow but nodded and stood up, Raven went with her bag to the bathroom of their room. Seeing herself in a mirror felt strange for her, she didn't have one in the tribe, as a child she had become accustomed to them always breaking after a few days because of Qrow's Semblance. Of course, now that he was gone, she could afford it, but it would be another reminder that she had lost his trust and that he was no longer by her side when needed. And that kind of reminders hurt, so she avoided them. With a sigh, she passed water over her face, styled her long hair, and dressed. When she came out, she saw Yang sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed, engaged in a fierce struggle against her comb. Raven let out a little laugh as she approached and reached out to her daughter, the latter gave her the comb and sat down on the mattress while her mother settled behind her and began to untangle her hair with a dexterity born of habit.

-Hey mom, what did you mean by "eating out"?

Raven sighed. She had a lot to do…

* * *

Yang was uncomfortable, to say the least. Usually, for breakfast, she would line up in front of Ramy, who was handing out to everyone a piece of bread and a cup of hot coffee, which she refused in favor of her mother's tea, and for some time after raid returns, there was also a serving of jam or honey, and once served, she would sit somewhere to eat, sitting outside on a crate when it was hot and in the tent when it was cold. But now… What was a "croissant"?

-Uh… Mom, I'm kind of… lost right now…

-You're here to learn. Don't force yourself, just take something that makes you want to.

Yang looked down again on the menu. "croissant," "chocolate bread," "raisin bread," did normal people really need so many options just for breakfast? Was it not enough for them to have something consistent in their stomachs? And that was not to mention drinks, milk, chocolate milk, coffees of all kinds, teas, infusions… At least, for that she knew what she wanted.

-Hello, have you decided?

Raven glanced at Yang, asking her to respond first. It made her really uncomfortable, but it took more to destabilize her.

-Jasmine tea. And… Uh… Mmmh… "pancakes"…?

Raven barely stifled a chuckle at her daughter's totally risky choice, and gave her own order, a mint tea and a croissant. The waitress noted the whole thing with a silly smile stuck to her face, then left. Yang watched her do it with curiosity. She used to have a member of the tribe come to bring them their evening meal in the tent when they hadn't picked them up themselves before, the advantage of being the chef, but the concepts of "order" and "menu" were completely new to her.

-Yang?

-Yes mom?

-Listen, in the morning, I'll stay with you, show you around, and explain to you everything you don't understand. But in the afternoon, you'll have to fend for yourself.

-But-…

-You're here to learn ,Yang. I know it can be a pain at first, but it's necessary. Do you understand?

-Yes, mom.

-Good.

The waitress came back with a tray, and placed on the table two cups of tea, a plate containing an indescribable thing that Yang assumed to be the "croissant", and a plate containing three small thick round patties that smelled very good. Raven thanked her and began to eat as if everything was normal. Yang seriously wondered how she could be so calm and natural in a place like this, how she know what to say or how to act to look "normal." In fact, without her armor on her forearms and her sword at the waist, she would have quite fit completely into the mass. Did she expect the same from Yang? She couldn't do it! She never set a foot outside the camp for anything other than training! How could she make it look like she was like all the other little girls she had seen on the street?!

Maybe starting by eating her pancakes?

With hesitation, she grabbed the first patty, it was so soft that it almost tore between her fingers when she lifted it.

-With your cutlery.

Yang looked at her mother, then her food, then her cutlery. She gently rested the food and took her fork in one hand and knife in the other. After wondering for a moment how such a knife could hope to cut anything, she cut the three layers of food at the same time, making little pieces. This time Raven nodded with a smile, and Yang began to eat, proud to have passed this first stage.

It was the best breakfast of her life, even if the unusual amount of sugar bothered her a little. Who put so much sugar in tea?

After this overly sweet meal, the two girls went out and started walking the streets. There were not many people outside, and almost all the buildings were closed by metal gates. Raven explained that on Sundays, most shops were closed, and that it was a day when people could stay at home and not work. She also explained that people did not work to participate in community life but to earn money, that this money was used to buy food and objects, and then had to explain the concept of "buying"… At one point, she also heard her whisper something like, "How could I screw up so badly?"

Yang had already seen Lien, the new members often reported a lot from raids, but after a few months they stopped, saying it would no longer serve them here. Apparently, groups of people who could live independently without an economic system were very, very rare, the tribe was actually almost the only one, and the lack of money was often what made small villages weaken, they struggled to refuel and pay the Huntsmen, and became ideal targets for raids.

Yang decided that money was an unnecessarily complicated concept and that she would settle for the last part, even if the memories of her first raid were not very pleasant. Raven was also very surprised that she didn't have nightmares every night. Perhaps because she knew in advance that she would have to kill and that was what was expected of her. She had never been presented with killing as something wrong, after all.

Another thing that was completely new to her was seeing children her age, even younger. She had always been the youngest of the tribe, the youngest person she knew was Vernal, who was only ten years older, and arrived a year before Yang was born. In the early years, she had been her babysitter when her mother went on a raid or was busy managing the tribe, until Yang could keep herself most of the time without disturbing anyone. Here, young children were numerous and ran all over the streets, shoving people and pulling on the arms of their parents to go in this or that direction, or were scolded in public for things as stupid as throwing a pebble on someone. If it was a normal child, Yang was happy not to be, it seemed so boring, there were so many unnecessary rules and restrictions. And they were so loud! They screamed and laughed with high-pitched voices and their numbers made it even worse. Fortunately she was the only child in the camp, otherwise it would be unbearable.

These thoughts came back for a moment to the boy she killed. He was barely older than her. And the one that was still hidden under the bed. She should have killed him too, but she didn't, and she could not explain why. Maybe she had been too emotionally tired for that.

Since almost all the shops were closed, there wasn't a lot to do, so after going around the village, the girls returned to the hostel. As soon as she arrived in her room, Yang dropped on the thick mattress. It was bouncing, it was funny.

-So, what did you think of that first outing?

-Hmm… I like pancakes.

-Better than nothing…

A tense silence fell on the room. Intrigued, Yang straightened her head to see her mother look out the window, staring into the wave. Now that she thought about it, she had looked quite distracted all morning, despite her continuous explanations. Something seemed to bother her…

-Mom, something's wrong?

Raven did not answer immediately, her eyes continued to look at passers-by, especially the children.

-You know, if I didn't went back to the tribe before you were born, you would have been like them.

-Noisy and capricious?

-Reckless. And innocent. You are not like the other children, Yang, and not just because you were born in the tribe. Even before you were born, you were involved in a background war, the fruit of the millennial-old conflict between Ozpin and Salem. These children have no idea of all this, they don't even know that magic exists, because in common thinking, magic is not real, it's only in stories, and these stories are just that, stories. "Normal" people don't know that Remnant's entirety is a battlefield littered with corpses. You do.

Raven then turned her head towards her daughter, and Yang swallowed. Her mother was about to cry.

-You should have had a life like this, without having to worry about Ozpin and his shenanigans, without having to carry such a burden, without risking being targeted at any moment by Salem, without having to grow up so fast, without having to _kill…_ You would have gone to school, you would have made friends, you would have had a real roof over your head to sleep, you would never have risked running out of food or anything, you…

Eventually, Raven snapped as tears began to run down her cheeks, and she buried her head in her hands.

-I'm sorry… I've been selfish by keeping you with me, you would have been so much happier in Patch with your father, I should have… I'm so sorry…

Yang didn't know what to say. She had only been there for less than a day, she could not know what kind of life her mother wanted for her, but she knew that she was already happy with the life she had led so far, with her mother and her family, and hearing her say in tears that it was a mistake, that she regretted keeping her in the tribe, that she should not have even taken her with her, that she should not have _raised_ her. It hurt. Where were all the times she had told her with a smile that she loved her more than anything in the world? What was the use of all the efforts she had made to make her proud, to be useful to the tribe, to support her when she needed it?! She even killed! Okay, she didn't know what a "normal" life was, she got it! But the one she had was fine and she had no desire to change it, even if it was difficult! And all those stupid kids running around like idiots could go fuck themselves! She was a bandit and it would never change!

* * *

Raven heard the door slam, then no more noise. She screwed it up again. But it had been stronger than her, seeing all these children frolicking with a smile on their faces, with an innocence and a carelessness that warmed her heart… She really wanted Yang to be like that, and she wanted her to understand that. She just shouldn't have said it that way. She knew very well how her daughter interpreted her, and that was not what she meant at all. But the words went out on their own, and now Yang was mad at her and she didn't know how to make up for it. She didn't think and just said what she had on her heart, because there was no longer that wall between them to prevent it. She screwed it up.

After a long time, she finally looked up from her hands. Yang had left her doll on the bed, obviously it would not occur to her to take it with her to comfort herself as any little girl would. Raven stood up and took the toy in her hands. She still remembered when she was a younger and she and Qrow lived on the street, stealing food from stalls to survive, sometimes even rummaging through the garbage cans of restaurants, she often saw other girls wearing colorful dresses, like princess dresses, holding the hand of their parents with a pretty doll in their arms, and she dreamed of being in their place. She could still see herself drooling in front of the toy store windows, until Qrow take her away from it by telling her to stop hurting herself. He brought this one from their first raid, exactly as she wanted it, and it was still one of her most precious possessions today, even more than her weapon. She had never parted with it, she often untangled its hair, styled it differently, carefully mended her dress whenever necessary. A pretty doll with blond curls and lilac eyes, a small nose and cheeks all pink. She almost laughed at the irony when she found herself with another pretty doll corresponding to this same description in her arms. But this doll wasn't cold and inanimate, she fidgeted in her cradle by making small squeaks, ran everywhere laughing, and called her "mommy".

Raven had always done her best to give her a semblance of normal life, they ate together, she taught her what she should have learned at school, she always took time to listen to her and spend time with her. But it was not the same thing. The more time passed, the more Raven regretted not leaving Yang to her father. It would have hurt her to be so far away from her daughter, and she would probably have spent her time checking if she was okay, but at least Yang would have been happy and safe… Even with Ozpin next door now that she was thinking about it.

After delicately resting on the pillow the doll that had accompanied her all her childhood, Raven came out of the inn and, in her bird form, looked for her daughter through the streets. No matter if Yang was angry with her, or even hated her, she would never stop looking after her.

* * *

**We're here! The first kill of our little blonde!**

**Yes, Raven has completely messed up about much of Yang's education, trying to make her have a normal life when she's in an environment where she'll never have one… obviously it was going to end up blocking somewhere. And the fact that Raven did things in the wrong order by starting by taking Yang on an unprepared raid perfectly matches the fact that she has more or less the same kind of reasoning in the anime, she ****tells**** Cinder to kill Qrow before helping them get the relic but eventually they're going to get ****it**** while Qrow is still alive, she thinks that having the relic of knowledge will help them defend themselves from Salem but she ****don't**** think Salem ****would just go after her harder to have it back…**** Er… yes, foresight is not ****for her****, and it's going to cause h****er**** big troubles in the fic, like now.**

**And regarding Yang, having always lived in the tribe, all she knows from the outside is what others have told her and not in a very objective way, so there are a lot of things that seem obvious ****but ****she doesn't know, money for example, if bandits take everything they want during raids, being rich is useless to them. ****Well****, since in the anime, Shay was at the gas station with Yang, they must join civilization from time to time, to have a drink or something like that, but hey, ****who cares?**

**And finally, if I had only one thing to say about the continuation of the fic… never forget the doll n_n**

**See you next week!**


	4. Chap 4 : New friends

****Hey everyone!****

****Thank you for the reviews, I always appreciate to read them! Sadly, Raven's problems are not near to end, but I won't say anymore about that, you'll figure why in this chapter n_n****

****Also, I don't know how things go one for you, but here, the President decided to close every schools in France for ********at least******** two weeks because of the coronavirus … Meaning … MORE TIME ********FOR******** WRIT********ING********! XD Seriously, I will literally have nothing else to do (except a********n important******** school project I have to finish but I have more than five weeks for that) so ********I will start to write some bonus chapters in additions to the part I, because we are already at the half and I'm like … still at the first chapter of the part II? n_n'****

****So tell me if you have some things you want to see in a bonus chapter, I already plan one about Raven's misadventures with baby Yang and I have some other ideas, but I'm still open to suggestions n_n****

****I don't hold you here any longer, good reading!****

****.****

* * *

.

Yang had to admit, she had no idea where she was going. At the camp, when she needed to let off steam, she would train against a tree or fly above the clouds. But here, there were too many people and she didn't know where to leave the village. She should have been more attentive to her surroundings this morning, but she was too focused on trying to understand everything her mother explained to her and not think that she had already killed people like those around her, without knowing they were near a murderer.

A girl jostled her as she passed, and continued on her way as if she didn't even see her. She wore a pink skirt with lace at the bottom, and the whitest shirt that Yang had ever seen, with shiny black shoes and a pink ribbon in her hair. Was that what her mother wanted for her? To be dressed like a fragile doll with shoes that hurt your feet? She was fine in short t-shirt and sneakers, it was more practical for fighting and transporting equipment, and at the camp it was the major part of her activities.

Her mind wandered for a moment towards the reflection of herself that she had seen in the mirror that day, her T-shirt spattered with blood.

Suppressing a chill, Yang continued to walk the streets randomly, until her stomach began to gurgle. It was noon and she had only swallowed three pancakes and a cup of tea for almost twenty-four hours… The problem was that she had no idea where to find food. There still was that "cafe" where she ate with her mother this morning, but apparently money was needed, and she didn't have any. And she certainly didn't want to go back to her mother now. She was still too angry for that, and she was already trying hard not to cry in rage. She was strong, she would not cry for so little, especially not after having seen her mother burst into tears in front of her while telling her that she regretted having raised her…!

-Rah!

The wall cracked under the force of the punch. Yang could feel the Aura around her hand flickering, and yet she held back, she knew she mustn't get attention while she was here, but her Semblance tended to get out of control when she was excited or upset, like the day of the raid. Luckily, the small lane in which she was was deserted, although the noise had apparently attracted attention, she could hear people approaching. Never mind, in few seconds, she was already on the roof. The midday sun was hitting hard, and the reverberation hurt her eyes.

That didn't stop her from seeing the two pairs of eyes that fixed her a few roofs away.

__-____Shit____…__

There were two children who seemed to be her age, a red-haired girl and a black hair boy, who looked at her with wide eyes. They must have seen her go up on the roof after hearing the loud sound of her punch. The question was, why were _they_ on the roof?

-Hello!

Yang blinked as the girl walked towards her, jumping from roof to roof with frightening energy, while the boy struggled to follow her. Finally, the redhead came to plant herself right in front of Yang, frowning as she leaned so far that their noses almost touched.

-I said HELLO!

Yang stepped back and almost fell, as much from the strength of the cry as from the proximity of the other girl. The boy finally landed on the same roof as them, almost immediately falling to his knees, breathing hard. He didn't look very sporty…

-Nora… I said… I said wait for me…!

The red-haired girl, Nora, rushed up to him, completely ignoring Yang, who understood the situation less and less.

-C'mon Ren! Stand up! You won't let yourself be knocked down by only few small jumps!

-Someone come and save me…

-Come on! Stand up lazy boy! We have a weird person to talk to!

__-"A weird person"…?__

With superhuman strength, Nora swung her friend, Ren, over her shoulder, and carried him up to Yang, placing him at her feet using his head as an armrest. Poor boy …

-Good, since you don't want to say hello, I'll directly skip to the introductions! I'm Nora, and he's Ren! Nice to meet you …!

-… Yang…

-Nice to meet you Yang!

Yang blinked a few times in confusion, then looked down at the boy, still sitting cross-legged, no more concerned than serving as an elbow rest. He just shrugged with an air of resignation, visibly used to his friend's antics.

-So, was it you who made this big boom there?

-Uh…

By reflex, Yang hid her right hand behind her back, even if there was normally no trace on it. She wasn't so embarrassed and uncertain in normal times, but between fatigue, her discussion with her mother, her headaches, her outburst of anger, and her disbelief at the strangeness of her interlocutors… Her usually inexhaustible energy stock was completely empty.

-You don't talk a lot, do you?

-I…

-She won't let go until you answer her, you know.

-I like big booms!

-Nora, please don't shout in my ears.

-Sorry Ren!

At this level, Yang was seriously considering running away.

-So, was it you who made this big boom, yes or no?

-… Yes …?

There were a few seconds of floating, then Nora teleported in front of Yang, again a few inches from her face, smiling.

-Awesome! It was awesome! I haven't seen but with such a noise I am sure it was awesome! I can do big booms too! But with a hammer. You don't have a gun, did you do it by hand? How? Is that your Semblance? I have activated my Semblance too! And Ren too, by the way. Hey, do you like pancakes?

Yang didn't have time to answer, the gurgling sound from her belly did it for her.

-You are hungry? But why didn't you say it sooner?! Come on, there's a great restaurant that's open on Sundays!

Without waiting for an answer, Nora grabbed Yang by the wrist and Ren by the collar, and dragged them to the other side of the village, leaving a huge cloud of white smoke behind her.

Yang knew that magic existed and that it could make things that would seem impossible even in the wildest dreams. But even with this knowledge in mind, it would have been difficult for her to believe in the existence of such a being without seeing it with her own eyes. Was her perception of normality as messed up as her mother thought, or was Nora just even more abnormal than she was? Surely a mix of both…

* * *

It was probably the most uncomfortable situation Yang had ever been in, even more than the breakfast. This supernatural girl simply captured her, there was no other word to define her situation.

-Take what you want, this one is on me! In the meantime, I'm going to pee!

And she ran off towards the toilet of the little restaurant. Yang didn't even dare to look down at the menu of dishes in front of her and turned her head towards Ren, seated to her right, who was calmly consulting his own menu, as if the situation was completely normal. Or maybe it was and Yang just couldn't know it, again.

-Is she always like that…?

-She was struck by lightning two days ago.

-Uh…

-It just activated her Semblance.

-Oh…

-I'M BACK! So what will you take?

Yang's eyes finally settled on the menu.

__-You are here to learn.__

Since she apparently had no choice… Well, eating was a good way to get ideas out.

Quickly browsing the choices in front of her, she randomly chose a dish, and jumped when Nora yelled the order from one side of the room to the other, before sitting in front of them, putting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands, like an interrogation.

-So Yang, where do you come from?

Oh. It _was _an interrogation…

-I…

__-____B____andits are feared and hated because they kill innocent people and loot peaceful villages for their own sake.__

-… From a very small village further north…

-I see I see… And what are you doing here suddenly?

-I am traveling with my mother.

-Is she a Huntress?

-In a way…?

Yang was frankly not sure which questions she could answer honestly and which questions she should lie. She was beginning to assimilate that being a bandit was considered a bad thing, especially since she literally had blood on her hands, but on the other hand, she hated lying, especially after hearing her mother's stories about Ozpin.

-Are you training to be a Huntress too?

-Nope.

At least that answer was honest. The Huntsmen were those who obstructed the tribe during raids… by protecting the innocent.

-So how did you make this big boom earlier?

-With my Semblance.

-Strength?

-Kinda-

-ARM-WRESTLES!

Yang threw a glance at Ren for the umpteenth time, hoping to get help, but received only a shrug indifferent the air of "Just deal with it.".

No less than fifteen showdowns later, with fifteen overwhelming victories for Yang and a total defeat for Nora, the latter finally decided to stop to fully enjoy her "hamburger". Ren had finished his plate a long time ago, and Yang had eaten with her left hand as she faced Nora with the right. It had been a long time since she had learned to be multitasking. But she had to admit, Nora was a great opponent, just not better than the members of the tribe.

-Anyfay, fhy a 'ou frafelin'?

-Uh…

-She said, "Anyway, why are you traveling?". Nora, swallow before speaking.

-Oh, well, my mother wanted me to see what the world looks like outside the c-… where I grew up. It's very isolated so…

-Why not go to Mistral then? It is the capital, it's more interesting than a small village.

-I don't know, my mother decided.

-I see. Hey, what's your favorite color?

-I don't have a favorite color.

-Is that so? I could have sworn it was yellow!

-Why yellow…?

-Why not? Mine's pink! Do you like hammers?

-I… prefer swords.

-Ren has a knife!

-I have a dagger.

-Oh~…! Show me!

-I don't have it on me, it's at the inn.

-Pity. Do you like pancakes?

Time passed, and for eternity, the three children continued to speak without stopping. Nora chained questions unrelated to each other, and Yang answered naturally, correcting herself every time she almost let out information about the tribe. And Ren intervened vaguely to clarify or correct Nora when she asked for something too personal or said something illogical, which often happened.

It had almost become a game, and before realizing it, Yang laughed with the other two children as if she had known them forever. Finally, they only left the restaurant after almost an hour and a half, and continued their little question and answer by walking without precise destination through the whole village. It was surprising to see that Nora still didn't run out of questions, even if it was mainly due to their nonsense. And yet, it didn't bother Yang, who always answered with a smile.

-The thing you like to hit the most?

-Jerks.

-One more common point! How long have you been training?

-Five years.

-Wow! You must be super strong then!

-Isn't it a too young to start?

-Not according to my mother.

-Do you prefer to write with a pencil or a pen?

\- With a pen.

-Feather pen or ballpoint pen?

-Feather pen. Never tried ballpoint…

-Your favorite animal?

-The raven.

-Weird choice.

-Raven's my mother's name.

-Ooooh~… Your favorite treat?

-Marshmallows.

-Very good choice. Your favorite season?

-Spring.

-Your favorite fairy tale?

-The Four Relics.

-Your favorite flow-… The what?

The small group stopped, and Ren and Nora looked at Yang curiously.

-The Four Relics. My mother told me when I was younger.

-Never heard.

-Me neither, but it sounds interesting. What is it about?

Only then Yang realized her mistake. She was so caught up in the game that she didn't pay any attention to what she was saying, forgetting that magic was supposed to be a secret, as were all the other stories told by her mother. She knew that some were known without people believing them, but she didn't know which ones…

-Oh wait! I have an idea! Follow me!

This time, Nora left them behind her as she ran in an unknown direction. Yang looked at Ren, who shrugged and started walking in the same direction as his friend. The blonde followed him in silence, relieved to have avoided the disaster, at least for now. Raven had always been very clear about magic being a secret, even the tribe members, who knew about it, thought Vernal was the Spring Maiden, they didn't know it was actually their leader, and didn't know the extent of her powers, they only had a few very specific examples of their use.

And for the people here, magic was an imaginary thing that only very young children believed in. Yang always knew that magic existed, as far as she can remember, she even had some in her. Another thing that made her "abnormal".

-Are you okay?

-Eh? Yes yes, I was just thinking…

-I see.

-…

-You were crying, you know.

-Sorry?

-On the roof. You were crying. Nora saw it, so she decided to do everything to keep you from being sad. She's like that, she likes helping others.

Yang didn't even realize she had been crying, and now that she thought about it, she noticed that her argument with her mother was completely out of her mind. She no longer had the feeling of being angry, she even had fun.

When they arrived at their destination, they were in the forest, outside the village, not very far, less than five short minutes on foot. Surprisingly, there were two sleeping bags and a leftover campfire. Nora was sitting on the floor trying to reignite the fire by rubbing two stones together.

-Come on, come sit down!

-Nora, we are in the middle of summer, in the middle of the afternoon. We don't need a campfire.

-We always need a campfire to tell a story!

Yang swallows. She did not avoid the disaster.

-Okay, screw the fire. Good, everyone is installed? Perfect! Yang, story, now.

-I'm not very good to tell stories…

-I don't care. Tell me.

How could she get out of this? They didn't even know that magic existed, and they shouldn't know it!

Minute. If they didn't know magic was real… how could they know the story was true? For them, a story with magic was just that, a story, a tale. If she did it the right way and left out the right details, she could pass it off as an old legend!

-So?

-Yes yes… So where do I start?

* * *

Perched in a tree in her bird form, Raven watched the scene smiling inwardly. She had been quite worried when this red-haired girl dragged Yang with her and bombarded her with no sense questions, but she quickly understood what she was trying to do. Tai had often done the same thing with Qrow and she, acting like an idiot without giving them a break so they didn't have time to think about their problems, even if he had to pass for the most stupid person ever or risk to spend his life in detention, like this time when he started a giant food-fight in the canteen. If this Nora had the same state of mind, then Yang was in good hands, she seemed to have a lot of fun.

Then she had mentioned the Relics, and Raven almost crashed on a wall, distracted by the monumental blunder of her daughter. If other legends like the Silver Eyes Warriors or the Four Seasons were more or less known to the general public, the Relics were an ancestral secret known only by the very closed circle of Ozpin, even the tribe never heard about them. And two random children, as kind as they were, had absolutely no need to know that!

But Yang caught things up, she told them the tale without mentioning the Maidens, without giving the names of the Academies, and even without speaking of the Gods. Just four legendary items hidden all over Remnant and whose powers were immense. And the other two had asked for nothing more.

Phew.

It was in this kind of situation that Raven was even more proud of her daughter, she knew how to handle emergency situations with calm and maturity.

The children stayed where they were to continue talking. No question and answer this time, just innocent gossip about everything and nothing like normal kids should. Seeing Yang so comfortable in this kind of situation warmed her heart, but at the same time, it was another reminder that she was the one who had prevented her from having a normal life, a life she would have had with Tai and Summer.

The sun was already set when Yang finally came back to the inn. The camp, although full of bandits, was ironically a very safe place for her, where she could roam freely at any time of the day and the night without any risk, so the principle of "coming back on time" wasn't very familiar to her.

As she said goodbye to her new friends in front of the inn and promised to see them again the next day, Raven flew around the building and returned to their room by the window. After a few minutes, the door opened, and Yang froze when she saw her mother. She didn't seem to be angry anymore, but there was still this feeling of discomfort in the air, which grew heavier when she slowly closed the door and leaned against it, not knowing what to say or what to do, not even daring to look up at her mother.

Raven, leaning against the window sill, sighed and decided to go ahead. She was the one who made a mistake after all, so it was up to her to fix it.

-You made good friends.

-How do you-…?

-I'm your mother Yang, I'm always watching over you. Even when you don't see it.

Yang opened her mouth but said nothing, and looked down at the floor. Raven stood up and approached her slowly. The further she went, the more she could see the trembling lips and the tears that began to accumulate at the corners of the eyes. And it broke her heart. When she arrived in front of Yang, the latter obstinately refused to look at her, her head more and more tilted towards the ground as the tears started to flow. Raven wanted to fall on her knees and take her in her arms, and apologize a thousand times for everything she had done, for taking her away from her father even before she was born, for imposing her the bandit life, for making her a killer, for not even being able to stay strong in front of her to support her as she did with the tribe, for letting her think that she regretted keeping her with her, for being such a bad mother… But she knew it would be a mistake, that it would only make Yang even more angry. She didn't need an apology, she needed her mother.

So with all the courage she had, Raven dropped to one knee to be at the same height as her daughter. She could do it, she could stay strong with no wall behind which to hide, no wall on which to lean. She was strong, she didn't need to pretend to be… did she?

-Yang, look at me.

For the first time, Yang did not obey her mother. Raven spoke anyway, with the warmth and gentleness she always had with her daughter, but with more firmness, as when she talked to her about the war between Salem and Ozpin.

-Listen to me, I don't regret having kept you with me and watching you grow. What I do regret is the life I forced you to have. You may not understand why, but I sincerely think you would have been happier if you had grown up with your father on Patch, because I know he would have taken care of you better than I do. I… I just want you to understand that I only want you to be happy, in Patch or in the tribe, whatever, as long as that's what _you_ want, not what you are forced to. You mean more to me than everything else, more than the tribe, more than your father, and above all more than my own happiness. If you have to be away from me to be happy then so be it, but don't believe that I regret a single one of the moments we spent together.

Yang didn't answer, and slowly raised her head until she met her mother's gaze. Her eyes were shining, but she didn't seem about to cry like she did earlier. She refrained from doing it, she tried to look strong… as she learned.

-… Is that true …?

-I swear.

Yang seemed to think for a few moments, then nodded, but did not jump to her mother's neck as she did so often. Instead, she forced a small smile and walked around to lie on her bed, turning her back to her mother.

-Good night mom …

It wasn't ideal, but at least Raven avoided breakage. Above all, she managed to tell Yang everything she had on her heart without collapsing in front of her. It had always been like that, Raven always kept a strong facade in front of everyone, whether her team or her tribe, she would never admit an error and even less let anyone see her cry, even Qrow could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times it happened, and it was mainly in their childhood, before they joined the tribe. However, Yang always had the gift of making her snap, of taking down this facade that everyone saw, and the day when she promised never to leave it, this barrier between them was definitely broken down, and Raven never tried to rebuild it. How could she be cold and bossy with someone who broke her defenses so easily all the time? She still remembered when she talked to her and tickled her when she was still a baby, and when she received little funny tweets in response. She just couldn't resist it, her heart melted like snow in the sun. Where was the problem with a mother laughing with her daughter?

The problem was that over time, she got into the habit of letting go of her emotions when she was with Yang, and because of that, the tears she kept all day often tended to flow.

-Good night little bird…

* * *

-I don't want to sleep!

-But if you don't sleep, you won't have enough energy to have fun tomorrow.

-_I ___have__ _a l_ot of energy! I'm no longer a baby, I'm almost six! I'm a big girl! I. Drink. Milk.

-Ruby sweetheart…

-What if mom reads you a story?

Tai turned to see Summer in the doorway, a big book of stories in her arms. From the moment she saw her mother, Ruby jumped out of bed to cling to her legs, ignoring her father's desperate sigh.

-Oh yes! A story!

-Stories are for good little girls who do what their daddy says.

And in a leap, Ruby was back in bed again. Tai stood up to let the place to his wife, and waited leaning on the dresser with a small smile. Summer sat on the edge of the bed, her daughter looking at her with her blanket pulled up to her nose, fidgeting.

-So what about… Rapunzel?

-Uh… Which one is it again?

-The princess with very long blond hair that lights up and can heal wounds…

* * *

The morning sun rays woke Yang early. Her stomach was already gurgling, it was the second evening in a row when she skipped dinner. After her discussion with her mother, she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep immediately, too emotionally tired. She wasn't even sure yet that she could say she reconciled with her mother. The events of the last few days still weighed on her conscience, it was too much all of a sudden, the raid, the blood on her hands, her mother talking to her to try to comfort her, this journey to discover the world, her mother who talked to her over and over again… She knew her mother was trying to be transparent with her, she wasn't afraid to show her her weaknesses or talk to her about sensitive matters, and she didn't hesitate to have long discussions about serious matters to make sure there was no misunderstanding, and Yang appreciated that sincerity. But sometimes she would like her mother to stop talking and take action. She knew it was a selfish thought, because Raven was already doing her best and more to manage both the tribe and her role as a mother, even if it meant encroaching on her own health. She also knew that her mother gave her as much freedom as possible for important decisions, always leaving her the choice after having given her all the information, and she always respected her decisions, even when they didn't please her.

But for once, just once, Yang would like to have no choice, to have an order, a point of reference, a precise direction to follow, rather than wading through a thousand possibilities which she didn't understand with only contradictory advice. If something were expected from her, she could agree or disagree, it would be so much simpler…

__-Just do what you want.__

She wanted to help the tribe, to be with them, to be __like __them, but she didn't want to kill again, she didn't want to take any more life, she didn't want to have blood on her hands anymore. But it was peculiar to bandits, wasn't it? And that didn't make them bad people, did it? The people in the camp weren't bad, they helped each other, laughed and cried together, they all saw themselves as a big family, and how many of them had saved each other's lives during difficult raids? People like that couldn't be bad people.

__-That's how, in the eyes of the world, someone who chooses to become a bandit can't be a good person.__

In the eyes of the world, in the eyes of normal people, people like those they killed, those whose they ruined lives, people like those who walked quietly on the street, ignorant of the dangers of the world, when she already had blood on her hands that would never go away, and that weighed heavier every time she thought about it. Maybe she was the one who should be more transparent and say clearly what she had on her heart… It seemed to relieve her mother, maybe that would help her too?

With a sigh, Yang turned and buried her face in her pillow. She could hear the water flowing in the bathroom, her mother must have been there. Now she thought about it, she didn't take any shower for several days… Maybe she should…

-YAAAAANG!

Oh. She knew that voice…

-I HOPE YOU ARE AWAKE AND READY BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOADING DAY TODAY!

Yang couldn't help but smile when she heard the other guests of the inn screaming at her to shut up. The day Nora stopped being an energetic idiot was not near to come, even with Ren to temper her. With astonishing revival of energy, Yang jumped out of her bed and opened the window. Below, Nora was waving her arms and legs in all directions to try to free herself from the grip of Ren, who held her with one hand around her waist and another on her mouth to prevent her from shout again.

-I'm coming, just a minute!

Nora raised her thumbs to show that she understood, and Yang closed the window to change, realizing that in addition to forgetting to wash, she had been wearing the same clothes since leaving the tribe two days ago… With her lifestyle, she was far from being manic about cleanness, but in the middle of summer, she was surprised not to have received a remark about her smell of sweating.

Raven was still in the bathroom, so Yang went straight out of the room to join her friends. When she got outside, she barely had time to make two steps before Nora jumped on her hard enough to fall on the ground. The two girls burst out laughing, and in an instant, all of Yang's problems seemed to be gone, for the time she would spend with her friends. And as she walked away from the inn with them, she didn't notice the raven that followed her, and she completely forgot she was supposed to spend the morning with her mother.

* * *

Sometimes Yang wondered if Nora was crazy, or if she was a genius.

-CANNONBALL!

The wave caused by Nora's bomb forcefully crashed into the other two children. The three of them burst out laughing and continued to splash each other with the cool water of the river. Actually, Yang didn't even know there was a river nearby, she hadn't really had a mind to explore these days, whereas usually when the tribe was moving, the first thing she did was go explore the surroundings, but only after helping to set up the camp. She often took part of the Grimm surveillance patrols, although she never fought one herself. However, nothing technically prevented her, but once again, her mother's unspoken rules held her back. Raven had always told her that she was too young, not trained enough, it was dangerous, but she never really said her "no"… How many other rules did Yang impose on herself without realizing it?

-Hey! Yang! Do you know how to ricochet?

-Yep!

She didn't have to think about it now. For now, she just wanted to have fun with her friends, the first she had.

* * *

Leaving Yang with these two children may not have been such a good idea. The river was a very good idea because of the heat, but it was too far from the village and the children were making a lot of noise, it was already the third Grimm who spotted them and that Raven killed. This Nora had a good heart, but no sense of responsibility, she had no weapon, Yang surprisingly didn't take her dagger, and nothing said that the black-haired boy wielded his knife well enough to kill a Boarbatusk. So it was up to her to take care of it. She couldn't really complain, it was her fault if Yang was angry and no longer listened to her, and she never forbade her to leave the village. Maybe she should have? That was what any parent would have done, but Raven wasn't just any parent. Besides, she had been so disgusted by Ozpin's way of doing things that the idea of manipulating her daughter's life in one way or another put her off. She did everything in her power to allow Yang to always have a choice, so she could make her own decisions, and above all, she tried to be as sincere as possible. Apparently too sincere.

Yang admired the strong and charismatic Raven who leaded the tribe, not the kind and fragile Raven who cried because of the torments of her past.

-By the way, Yang, how long will you stay?

-Mmh… I leave tomorrow during the day.

__-Tomorrow? ____A____lready?__

She hadn't realized that their time here had passed so quickly. At least, thanks to these two children, Yang had become a bit familiar with the outside world. It was the primary purpose of this trip after all.

-TOMORROW?! And we haven't done the shopping yet?!

-Shopping?

-Oh no…

-Yeah! Yesterday everything was closed! Quick! Get out of the water you bunch of slugs, we have shopping to do, and I have towels to go get!

And with these words, the little red-haired girl ran out of the water towards the camp where she and her friend spent their nights, still soaked. The other two laughed a bit before following her, taking the time to spin their long hair before. The days when Yang's little curls barely reached her shoulders were far away, they were reaching her lower back now, and yet she never complained that they bothered her, claiming that it gave her a "wilder side". Why not? No one had to tell her what to do with her hair. If only she didn't get upset as easily when someone other than Raven touched it…

-Did you make it up with your mother?

In her bird form, Raven came closer to hear the conversation better, while being careful not to be seen. She may be just one raven among many for a normal person, but she knew that Yang would recognize her at first glance.

-No… Actually, I would even say that it's worse.

This response made Raven's heart ache. She had done everything she could to clear up the misunderstanding, and Yang had seemed to understand it. What had she done wrong?

-Is it you who is mad at her? Or the opposite?

-__I ___am mad at_ her. Well, I think… I know _she_ is not mad at me.

-Why are you mad at her then?

-I… Roh! I didn't come to think about that!

-Sorry, I didn't mean to be prying.

-It's fine, it's fine…

The two children sat on the rocks, their feet still in the water. Nora shouldn't be very long, so they could enjoy the calm while there still was. If Ren weren't so stoic, Raven would have joked that it looked like a summer love, they were so cute. Too bad their topic of conversation is much less. At least, unlike his friend, Ren knew how to respect people's privacy, where Nora had asked Yang a thousand questions, including about her private life…

Speaking of witch…

-I'M BACK!

-We heard you arrive a kilometer away, you know?

With a falsely pissed pout, the little redhead threw towels at them. She had already dried while running, but her two friends would still have wet hair for a long time. The three children set off for the village, Nora doing most of the talking, and Raven watching them from the sky. They really did not realize that they could attract Grimm by making so much noise? Yang had already seen Grimm when she was on patrol, she should know! Since when had she been so reckless?

Actually, she had always been reckless, like this time when she tried to climb one of the wooden pillars and transformed for the first time, or when she was going to fly during a thunderstorm and was in danger of being struck by lightning, or when she responded to someone's provocation and broke his teeth. She knew the camp like her pocket, and everyone there knew her too, as the chief's daughter, nothing less, and she had never been punished for anything. Why would she take precautions if there was nothing to fear? She had not been overprotected, far from it, Raven had literally told her to jump from a cliff to learn to fly! Pampered then? It seemed so…

__-Raven Branwen pampering h____er____ daughter… If Qrow knew that… __

* * *

The sun was starting to wane, it was late afternoon. Nora had dragged her two friends to absolutely every shop in the village, only stopping to get takeout food. She was bursting with energy. Literally, Raven remembered seeing small electric arcs over her head. A story of being struck by lighting recently… It should fade a little over time, but she would surely keep her electric temper. Until there, she could run for a whole day without stopping as if she had overdosed on caffeine, while even Yang was having trouble following her, the poor girl was barely standing, and Ren was leaning on her to not collapse.

And all this time, Raven had been watching them from the sky. With the two children to guide her and her Semblance to defend herself, Yang technically risked nothing inside the village, but she couldn't help having a bad feeling…

After walking about twenty meters alone, Nora finally realized her two friends could no longer follow and just jumped backwards to join them.

-Already tired guys?

-We ran all day…

-Couldn't we have stayed at the river…?

-But you leave tomorrow! You had to show you around!

-No more running…!

-Alright Alright…

Nora turned her back on them and crouched down to draw small circles on the floor, and Raven could have sworn to see a cloud of rain above her head. Her little depression, however, didn't last very long, because she got up by jumping suddenly with an expression that indicated that she had just had the idea of the century…

-Nora?

-I HAVE AN IDEA!

-Help…

-No more running!

Nora pouted and leaned towards Ren, so close that their noses almost touched, wiggling her finger as if she was reprimanding him.

-If that's how you feel, no ice-cream for you.

And without further ado, she grabbed Yang by the wrist and started pulling her towards the village glacier. It might sound mean, but Raven knew she was just giving him time to rest and take his breathe. Actually, the only reason she would come back _without_ an extra ice-cream for him would be because she ate it or knocked it over in the process.

These two children, as bizarre as they were, were one of the best things that could have happened to Yang right now. They were "normal" children, but at the same time sufficiently unusual to get along with a girl who had grown up isolated from the world. They knew how to make her smile when she needed it, without trying to intrude on her private life to solve all her problems.

They were orphans and had both unlocked their Semblance, at another time, Raven would have offered them to join the tribe, but today, now that she was a mother, she could not afford to take away their innocence so early, when they seemed very happy with their situation. That wouldn't stop her from thanking them for what they had done for Yang. Another thing she would never have done if she hadn't had her daughter by her side, if she hadn't seen her grow up. Raising a child seems to have softened her… Yep, luckily Qrow didn't see her.

-Hey kid.

Ren looked up. He still had red cheeks because of the exercise, and his bangs stuck to his forehead because of the sweat. He watched her for a few moments, before opening his eyes slightly.

-Are you Yang's mother?

Raven smirked, obviously they looked very similar, except for the colors.

-Yes. My daughter seems to have a lot of fun with you.

-Especially with Nora.

-Certainly.

A somewhat awkward silence settled, and Raven internally struck her head. "Thank you", it wasn't that difficult, why couldn't she just say it? Was it really only with Yang that she could remove her cold like death stoic mask?

-A problem, ma'am?

… No, she couldn't… She was so used to playing this facade personality that she became almost sincere by doing it.

-Just avoid putting my daughter in danger in the future. The Grimm would have devoured you all if I hadn't gotten rid of them.

-Oh…

Ren, until then seated on a bench, stood up and bowed slightly. He seemed to have had a traditional and formal education, because it was quite rare for a child to be so polite.

-Thank you for protecting us, and I apologize for disturbing you. But actually, I think my Semblance could have easily saved us from trouble.

-Your Semblance?

-I can hide emotions.

-And be completely invisible to the Grimm… And you plan to become a Huntsman?

-Yes, I want to protect people who can't protect themselves.

Raven almost laughed. It was so cute, so innocent to think that way. If he knew…

Yang knew.

-Well, whatever. No put yourself in unnecessary danger. Relying only on your Semblance to survive, whatever it is, is a mistake that has already killed many stronger than you.

-I will be more careful ma'am, and thank you for the advice.

Much too polite for his own sake… It was on her to thank him, not the other way around, he and Nora had made Yang smile, and without being as reckless as she thought. But the two words just couldn't go out of her mouth, this wall that separated her from the world prevented her despite her efforts, so a good advice was the best she could offer instead, especially if he understood the value.

Raven turned to leave, the girls could come back any second, and Yang still didn't seem very keen to talk to her.

-You are the one who has been watching us since we met Yang, aren't you?

Raven stopped dead. Did he feel she was there?

-You know, someone told me one day that the worst action to take was taking no action at all.

…

-Is that what drives you to become a Huntsman?

-Yes.

-What's your name again.

-Lie Ren.

-Lie Ren… When you and your friend will choose a Huntsmen Academy, I suggest you two go to Beacon. Yang has never been to school, she will need a helping hand to integrate.

And she left without waiting for his answer, a small smile on her face. He was a good kid, and as long as there were people like him and Nora around Yang, Raven knew she didn't have to worry.

* * *

-Ah! I had a blast today!

-I am surprised that your belly did not do the same…

-I could still eat a regiment of pancakes!

The three children laughed together then parted for the night. Yang was really happy to have met them, and she was a little sad to leave them tomorrow. But her mother had to take care of the tribe, she couldn't leave for too long.

With each step she climbed, her stomach tightened a little more. She still hadn't resolved her problem with her mother, and since she kind of accepted her apologies, she didn't even know where to start to fix things. Whenever there was a problem between them it was Raven who had always made the first step, she never let things get worse and always came to speak to her to explain things clearly and fix the problem, no matter how insignificant it may be. Like she was afraid of what could happen if she didn't, but what was the worst thing that could happen? Yang would get angry and go to isolate herself in her room or train against a tree to let off steam, what was Raven expecting?

… What would a normal child do…?

Let's see if she had learned enough about the outside of the tribe. If Nora was angry with someone, she would surely make a scene and break his legs, but forgive soon after. Ren would rather be the type to remain calm and thoughtful rather than acting on the impulse, but to be out of control the day he snaps. And for the capricious and whiny children she met in the streets, they would surely sulk or… try to show pointlessly how nervous they were… by breaking things perhaps… or by disobeying one of the hundreds of idiots rules that were imposed on them, like having a tidy room, not doing dangerous things, not going too far away…

Yang stopped dead on the last few steps.

-She doesn't want me to leave…?

__-If you want to meet your father, go live with him and have a normal life… I won't stop you. You are free to choose.__

__-You are the most precious thing I have ever had, and you take more space in my heart than anyone else ____in this world____.__

__-____If__ __you__ __have__ __to__ __be__ __away__ __from__ __me__ __to__ __be__ __happy__ __then__ __so__ __be__ __it, but__ __don'___t ___believe__ __that__ __I__ __regret__ __a__ __single__ __one of the moments we spent together___._

__-I love you, little bird… I love you so much… __

-No… She is __afraid __that I could leave…

She knew Raven might be afraid, but… of that? Was something that would never happen so terrifying to her? What did she plan to do if it happened? … Would she even let it happen?

She had to find out.

* * *

The bedroom door opened, and again, Raven waited, leaning against the window sill. She was apprehensive, she didn't know what else she could say to catch up with Yang, and she even doubted that she would listen to her… But they were going back to the camp tomorrow, and they wouldn't be as free as here, she had to settle that tonight.

Easier to say than to do…

-Mom I-…

-You haven't eaten yet right? Come on, let's go have a meal.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't find the words, she didn't know what to do, so she avoided the subject the best she could… And it was true that they didn't have any dinner since their arrival, and Raven might not be the ideal mother, far from it, it would not be said that she badly fed her daughter.

The meal was silent. Yang seemed much more comfortable about choosing her dishes, she had done it several times with Ren and Nora, and since she learned to adapt quickly, it already almost became natural to her, one would never have believed that she didn't know what a menu was two days ago. But that didn't prevent the atmosphere from being uneasy, and none of them managed to finish their food.

As they went back to their room, Raven felt her stomach tighten more and more. She was still helpless against Yang, and she didn't know what to say to reassure her. She didn't even know __what ___to _reassure her since she didn't tell Ren and Nora about it!

Entering into a deadly silence, their sat on their bed, each in front of the other, without daring to look at each other. Raven had the feeling of being back when Qrow announced to her that he no longer wanted to return to the tribe, that he would not return with her, he had hesitated a lot before talking to her about it, she did see it coming, and it still hurt, she felt betrayed, abandoned, more than ever before. It was the same feeling.

-Mom…

Raven almost didn't hear her, her own heart pounding in her ears so hard that she thought she was going to be deaf. She whispered a "Yes?" But she wasn't even sure she had really made a sound because her throat was so dry. She just knew that her hands were shaking as she grabbed hold of the sheets, and that breathing required superhuman effort from her. No matter how much she could deny it, she had been scared, many, many times. But even in the worst situations, even when she faced with the most dangerous enemies, even when she stared death in the face, Raven Branwen had never been __terrified__.

Yet that was the case at that moment. Because what she feared most was about to happen. She had considered this issue when she decided to make this trip, every time she talked to Yang she had pushed the thought to the back of her mind, but she was just lying to herself. She had been thinking about it since the moment she had seen the blood on Yang's hands and clothes after the raid, where she had seen her gaze both empty and full of doubts. She had hoped, but she knew it was going to happen, just as she knew it would be for the best, she felt it in the depth of her heart. The maternal instinct surely.

-I…

__-Do____n'____t say it… ____Please, ____I beg you, ____don't say it____… __

-I want to go with my father.

She said it.

* * *

****And yes! Ren and Nora are in the place! ********Well, e********specially Nora… ****

****This chapter was frankly one of the hardest to write, it********'********s an arc that I ********didn'********t ********plan******** at the origin, I only knew ********how I wanted it to end********, ********so ********I improvised everything by writing without knowing what elements I had to put and it ********made******** that, I hope you liked it anyway n_n****

****See you next week to find out the outcome of this ********journey********!****

****.****

****Fun fact********:****

****In ********f********rench, we have only one word for both "crow" and "raven", it's "********corbeau********" ********("eau" is pronounced "o")********, ********so, ********for******** french ********people********, Qrow and Raven ********turn into******** the same bird. ****

****Oobleck: It's good to know!****


	5. Chap 5 : Sunset

**Hi everyone! **

**Thanks for the reviews, it always cheer me up to read them! n_n**

**Also, I'm surprise to see some of you read the french version, I didn't expect that, but I'm happy, because it means you really like my fic n_n**

**Just, please, don't spoil the chapter 6 to those who don't read the french version, it's important.**

**So**** I ****don'****t hold you ****here**** any longer, good reading!**

* * *

.

The silence in the room was so heavy that it could have easily crushed a Nevermore.

Raven wasn't feeling well, as if her heart had stopped beating. She could no longer make the slightest movement, even trembling was beyond her means, and she was almost unable to breathe.

She did it. Eventually, Yang decided to go live with her father rather than with her. It was going to happen one day, she already knew it. It was quite normal after all, wasn't it? She just discovered both the most excruciating aspect of the life she lived until now, and all the good sides of a life offered to her on a silver platter, she only had to ask to have it. And that was what she did. Like her mother, she finally came to think, to understand, that she would be happier there. It was really simple.

After a few seconds that seemed to be an eternity, Raven let out a little sound halfway between a joyless laugh, a sigh, and a muffled.

-It hurts to hear you know…

Her voice was dry and weak, hardly louder than a whisper. Yang did not answer, but Raven knew she heard it.

-… All right… If that's what you want…

Slowly, Raven bent down and reached out to grab her bag and lay it next to her. Lifelessly, she plunged her hand in in search of her Scroll. She took it out, opened it, and scrolled through the short contact list to an all-too-familiar name. And as if by mechanism, a remnant of muscle memory from the time when she made this gesture so often, she started the call and brought the device to her ear.

She didn't want to do it, she didn't want to be separated from Yang, she was too used to have her little bird around her to bring some sun into her dark and remorseful life. Losing her after all this time, even though she always knew it would happen one day… She felt like part of her soul was being taken away from her. She didn't even try to resist, her body moved by itself while her mind refused to think about what she was doing.

She beat Qrow that day. She shouted at him, and beat him again, unleashing her rage on her brother who turned his back to the tribe, to those who had welcomed them, who had saved them, the first who had treated them like human beings while their own parents had not wanted them, those who had become their family. With tears in her eyes, she asked him how he could abandon her after all they had been through together, all these times in their miserable childhood where they had survived only thanks to the presence of each other. She refused to believe that he was giving up everything because of two ignorant kids whom he had known for a little over a year.

When their parents abandoned them, she was too young to remember, but at the time, when she thought about it, it hurt her. But she had endured, because she had to be strong for Qrow, her brother.

When Qrow, her brother, abandoned her, she got in rage, she felt her heart break, and it hurt her so much. But she had endured, because she had to be strong for her tribe, her family.

When _she_ abandoned her team, her brother, her husband, her friend, those for whom she had also abandoned her tribe, they all turned their backs on her, they got mad at her and didn't try to restrain her, they had not seen how much she was suffering from her own decision. But she had endured, because she had to be strong for Yang, her baby, her little bird, the last light in her life.

But now that even that was being taken away from her too, she could do nothing but comfort herself in the idea that her baby would be happier there. Maybe it was the karma that caught up with her for being such a bad mother and taking her innocence to Yang so soon for a reason as stupid as giving in to one of her whims.

Even the first ringing against her ear didn't pull her out of her trance. In a few seconds, she'll be talking with Tai, her first and only love. She had not heard the soft sound of his voice since the day she left, the very day she learned about her pregnancy. He must be angry at her for abandoning him, perhaps even he would hate her when he would hear what she had done to their daughter. He'd be right.

Yet she was not afraid of what he might say to her, she would not look for her words, she would not bother with tact, she would not bother to look cold and obnoxious as she usually was. She felt too tired for that…

When others abandoned her, she was the one who suffered. And when she was the one who abandoned them, she was still the one who suffered. She couldn't take it anymore, she had enough, she just wanted it to stop. And her Semblance that allowed her to reach at any time the people whom were dear to her, those to whom she was bond, those who hurt her when they distanced from her, while her bonds never broke…

The second ringing was heard, resonating in the silence of the room, and before Raven could understand, her Scroll was on the floor and had closed when it fell, ending the call before it had even begun.

-Yang…?

Just in front of Raven, Yang stood, breathing heavily, his arm still in the air after ripping the device out of his mother's hands, wet eyes and an air of guilt on his face.

-I don't want to, I… I wanted to know if you were really giving me a choice or if you were manipulating me to stay of my own free will. I didn't want you to-…

This time it was Yang who fell to the ground, her Aura flashing on her cheek, while Raven was standing. The slap had gone off on its own, without her being able to control it. Her heavy breathing was the only noise in the room after the dry sound of the slap she had just put on.

After a few seconds, she let herself fall to her knees, holding her face in her hands, realizing with horror what she had done. She hit her daughter. She had never even imagined being able to raise her hand on Yang, she loved her too much for that, she would rather go and burn in hell on her own than do her the slightest harm. She would do anything for her daughter's happiness, no matter how much she had to suffer herself! She was just trying to be a good mother, why did the universe take such pleasure in tormenting her?!

-… Never again… Don't ever do that to me again…

The volume of her voice diminished with every word she uttered. She was exhausted, the accumulated fatigue of her hard work in the tribe and the stress of the last few days caught up with her. She wasn't even crying, she didn't have the strength for that, she felt she could pass out any second, her body even started to wobble. She just wanted to close her eyes and no longer think about anything, forget everything that could happen around her, Qrow, Tai, Summer, Ozpin, Salem, the tribe, she couldn't take it anymore…

_-… Mom…?_

She could no longer feel her body, and her vision gradually darkened as the world around her disappeared. Or maybe she was the one who was disappearing. That would be nice.

_-…-__om__…!_

No more worry, no more remorse, no more sadness, no more pain… No more wall to lean on… No more anything, no more anyone…

-MOM!

* * *

_-Come on Yang, you __can __make it._

_Kneeling in her new tent, the main tent, Raven w__as looking at__ her daughter tr__ying__ to walk for the first time. She had been trying for some time, even though she was not even a year old __yet__. _

_With a little squeak, Yang fell back on h__er__ buttocks. Raven let out a little laugh when __s__he saw h__er__ hit the ground with h__er__ tiny fists, grumbling. She had the character of her father, a real ball of energy that refused to stay __calm__ for more than a few seconds, __even__ in her cradle she drove in all directions as soon as no one was there to distract her._

_-Come on little bird, I know you can do it._

_Inflating her chubby little cheeks, Yang leaned on her arms as she stretched out her legs. It was the "__stand__ing __up__" ste__p__ that was a problem, either she did it too quickly and fell on her buttocks, or she did it too slowly and ended flat __on her stomach__. Raven didn't want to intervene, she wanted her daughter to be able to do things on her own, but that didn't stop her from encouraging her w__ith all her__ heart. Several times, Yang took off her hands and fell back into her basic position just after, and finally st__ood up__. She was going to fall back again, but this time she waved her arms to regain her balance._

_Raven's eyes widened. She was about to make it!_

_-Yes, __that's it__ Yang, you're almost there!_

_Yang's fight against gravity lasted several seconds, until finally she came to a stop, slightly leaning forward, her arms spread to the sides to keep her balance._

_-That's good! Come on, come __to__ Mommy now._

_A little awkwardly, Yang took a first step forward, using her arms to keep her balance, then a second, then a third, faster and faster as she advanced so as not to fall forward. Raven smiled and stretched both her arms towards her, ready to catch her. The __distance__ between them was quickly crossed, and, tangling her feet in the last steps, the little blonde stumbled forward, but instead of falling to the ground, she fell into her mother's arms._

_-Bravo! I knew you'd make it!_

_The little girl burst out laughing as her mother stood up by spinning __with __her __in her__ arms, covering her pink cheek with kisses, and stopping only to tickle her belly. Raven's cheerful laughter and Yang's amused chirping filled the tent with a sweet melody._

_-Mom__my__ is so proud of you little bird… _

* * *

Raven growled, blinking slowly, with daylight preventing her from going back to sleep and returning to her sweet dream. She didn't want to wake up yet, she wanted to keep cuddling her baby and hearing her laugh and…

Daylight?

This time she opened her eyes wide. She was in a bedroom, in bed, and it looked like almost noon. Did she really sleep for so long? What time did she go to bed? She didn't even remember going to bed, did she fall asleep on the couch and Tai carried her? He used to do so when she was too tired to go up to their room, and she felt something hot on her hand.

But when she turned her head, her eyes met a little blonde girl who had visibly slept on her knees on the floor, her head and arms resting on the edge of the mattress.

-Yang?

Yang mumbled something and opened her eyes. She had pockets under her eyes, proving that she had not slept much, had she spent the night here on the floor? And where did the blanket on her shoulders come from?

-Mmmh… Mom…?

-Hello little bird.

Raven gently stroked her head with a small, tired smile. Yang blinked several times and stood up, her blanket falling to the ground as she continued to wake up. She rubbed her eyes for a few more seconds, then finally realized that her mother was awake.

-Mom!

Without waiting, she jumped at her mother's neck, and Raven felt her tremble slightly, as if she were holding back from crying. She returned her embrace, squeezing her as hard as she could.

-I'm sorry mom… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you...!

-I know. But everything's fine now, okay?

Yang nodded in her mother's neck as she clung even harder. She must have been scared. Raven felt guilty for worrying her, she had completely lost control and eventually passed out, leaving her eight-year-old daughter alone with an unconscious adult on her arms. But she had been so afraid of losing her too, as she had lost one by one all the other people dear to her, it had been so close to happen…

A flash of events the day before came back to her mind, and Raven's heart tightened a little more to that memory. She grabbed Yang's shoulders to push her back and gently placed a hand on her cheek.

-I'm sorry I hit you…

Yang shook her head with energy.

-No, I deserved it. I'm so sorry… I should have trusted you…

Raven was about to fight back, when the bedroom door opened in a loud bang.

-And here's your lunch-…!

Nora froze with her plastic bag hanging at the end of her arm outstretched in the air, Yang turned to her with a dork look, and Raven let out a long sigh. Luckily, before one of them could say anything, Ren's arm grabbed Nora's pass and pulled her out of the room, before closing the door without a word.

At least now Raven knew where the blanket came from. Yang was in good hands with them... more than with her…

-What are you waiting for? Go join them.

-But-…

-We leave at the end of the afternoon, take the opportunity to spend time with them. We'll talk later.

-What about you?

-I'm going to rest a little longer, I won't have this chance at the camp, and I think I really need it.

Raven got up from her bed and beckoned Yang to follow her. She then grabbed her weapon from the wall.

-You know how to use it, don't you?

Yang nodded, and Raven tied it to her daughter's waist with some pride in her gaze.

-I'm not as attached to my weapon as others may be, but I still trust it to protect you like if I were there.

Yang opened her mouth to speak but found nothing to say, not wanting to contradict her mother after what had happened. Then she forced herself to smile and energetically nodded. Through the window, Raven watched her chat with her friends, Nora marveled at her sword and Ren complimenting her with a nod. The three children walked away from the inn, and Raven just collapsed on her bed. Her mind was completely empty, her eyelids were heavy and her eyes closed on their own.

She didn't know exactly how long she had slept, but it was the horribly familiar sound of a Scroll ringing that woke her up.

* * *

-Are you sure you don't want to stay with your mother? She didn't seem to be very fine.

-I know, I would have liked to stay with her, but she really seemed to need space… And… it's my fault if she's like that then...

-Well, we have until tonight, what do we decide?!

-You, Nora, don't have any idea what to do with the activity? I should have covered myself more because apparently it's going to snow.

-It's not my fault there's not much left to do here!

-Perhaps if _someone_ had not insisted on going around _all_ the shops in the same day, we would still have things to visit.

Nora pulled her tongue to Ren and crossed her arms behind her head as she was thinking. Yang was now used to their antics that made her smile in the corner. She would have liked to be like them, to have a friend so close that they could have a completely absurd conversation as if everything were normal. It happened in the tribe, but people there were not friends, they were family, brothers in arms. Yang loved everyone in her tribe, and almost everyone liked her too, but Ren and Nora were the first real _friends_ she had.

But she should leave them by the end of the day, and she will not see them again until the day she will attack a village in which they will be. Perhaps they should even face each other to death. She was a bandit and they wanted to be Huntsmen. They shouldn't be friends.

_-You've made very good friends. _

But it didn't seem to bother Raven, she even seemed happy that Yang had made friends. Yet they were not of the tribe, and with their goals they would never join it. Maybe she was just thinking they would probably never see each other again. Or maybe it was another one of those things that she wanted Yang to choose for herself, would she take the risk of befriending people she might face. As always, she gave her a choice. She _really _gave her a choice.

Yang put her hand on her cheek, she still felt the phantom pain of the slap she took. She deserved it, she knew it, she saw it in her mother's eyes. She had not thought about the consequences, she had been overwhelmed by her anger and doubts, and she wanted to be sure, so she tested with the most important choice her mother had given her.

Oh how she regretted…

She had already seen Raven in states that others would never even imagine from her, she knew how exhausted she was, and she had seen her tearfully collapse right before her eyes the day before. But she never thought she'd see her so… broken. Her eyes were completely empty, she was barely breathing, her face was paler than ever, and she showed a bigger despair than anything Yang had seen before. For a few seconds, it felt like she was dead, stabbed in the heart. Then she had spoken…

_-It hurts to hear you know… _

This sentence also hurt Yang, she had felt overwhelmed by guilt more than ever before. Her mother's voice was so full of despair, like if she was begging her to stop torturing her…

And when she started calling, Yang realized how much she was wrong. Raven didn't hesitate, she didn't tremble, she didn't try to resist or convince her to change her mind. She respected her choice, even if she suffered from it. And she did suffer. She trusted her daughter's decisions, and Yang had abused that trust. She hurt her more deeply than if she had stuck a knife in her back, and Raven didn't even defended herself, she struggled for the happiness of her daughter who had just betrayed her, no matter how much painful it was for her.

Realizing that she was actually calling her father, that something irreversible was about to happen, she had snatched the Scroll from her hands. She didn't want to go with her father, she didn't want to leave the tribe, she didn't want to hurt her mother! She foolishly thought that telling the truth would be enough to calm her down. Be transparent. It worked well with her until then.

And when she collapsed…

How could she still smile at her with so much love?

-Hello? Remnant call Yang, do you hear me?

Yang blinked, Nora was leaning towards her, snapping her fingers in front of her eyes. Usually she would have stopped thinking about her problems and just go for all these games with her friends, but this time she was too worried about her mother for that. She then remembered that she was carrying her mother's sword at the waist. It was still too big for her and she had trouble drawing, but she was able to handle it.

_-I__'__m not as attached to my weapon as others may be, but I __still__ trust __it__ to protect you __like__ if I were there._

Raven needed a blade to use her Semblance, hence the importance of always having her weapon at hand, she never walked away from it, even to sleep. And there, she had left it without hesitation, she wasn't hidden somewhere in case she had to intervene, she would not come out of a portal at the last moment to save her in case of problems. This time, Yang was left to her own devices. And Raven was helpless.

-Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts… What were you saying?

Nora looked at her anxiously for a few seconds, before resuming her usual playful air.

-I was saying, since you're about to leave for your small lost village, we could buy you a souvenir!

-I don't have any money.

-Don't worry…! We'll offer it to you! Hey Ren?

-Of course.

-But-…

-No but. Come on, shops are this way!

And she ran again…

* * *

-Roh… This is the fifth shop we visit!

-There must be something that you'd like to have?

-I told you guys, I don't need anything.

-We're not talking about "need," we're talking about "envy." I mean, what do you like to do in your free time?

-Training.

-And…?

-… Training?

She decently couldn't tell them "fly in the sky" or "help in a bandit camp," and she had always grown up with the idea that if she wanted something, she would just have to take it during a raid, like the golden pocket mirror, or the perfume with a flower-shaped cap. She didn't use them since, by the way… And then she didn't want her friends to spoil their money for her, she had understood that they needed it to live, she didn't, she didn't lack anything in the tribe, even when the food stocks were low, she was never hungry, she was even in the best feds. Because she was the chief's daughter…

-Do you really just train all the time?

-Well… I also spend time with my mother when she's not busy with her work.

-And what do you do?

-Nora, it's indiscreet.

-No, no, it's fine, we don't do much anyway, we talk, we drink tea, she combs my hair, that kind of things.

-Wait, she can pass a comb through _th__at__?!_ How does she do it?!

-I also wonder all the time…

-Tell me Yang, is it just an impression or… Everything you do has something to do with your mother?

Yang paused to look at Ren, raising an eyebrow, not really understanding what he meant by that. But before she could think about it, a shop now just in her sights caught her attention. Curious about her friend's reaction, Nora followed her gaze.

-A toy store?

Yang did not answer and approached the window. Many toys were on display, small cars, stuffed animals, balloons… But all her attention was focused on two porcelain dolls sitting in front of each other at a small table for tea.

-Yang?

-My mother offered me a doll like that for my birthday.

But this doll was old and damaged, although it seems to have been maintained with great care. How long has Raven had this toy? And how much did she care about it? Given the condition of the dress, Yang would bet that she had it since she was the same age as her. And for keeping it for so long, and offering it to her now… This doll must have meant a lot to her. More than just a toy. Too bad it is in such bad condition…

-I have an idea!

* * *

-Yang, is everything okay?

-Yes yes… I'm just… worried about my mother…

-I see…

-…

-I won't force you, but you can talk to me if you want. I promise I won't tell anyone, not even Nora.

Talk about it? This was what Raven had always done and which annoyed Yang more and more, she was tired of hearing apologies and long-term justifications… But now Yang understood a little better why her mother used to do so. It wasn't just to give her a choice, she needed to say these things out loud, to admit that they were true. She had admitted that she would let Yang go if she wanted to, but she never admitted that she was _afraid_ about it, so that fear had built up until she cracked. Maybe she should do the same for once…

Yang glanced at the redhead leaning against the tree, just between her and Ren. Sleeping was probably the last thing you'd expect from Nora, but she had to recharge her batteries from time to time, right? In any case, she would not hear anything.

-I… made a mistake… and I don't know how to fix it…

Ren turned to her, leaning a little to see over Nora. They were alone in a quiet place, so he didn't need that to hear her, it was more to show her that she had all his attention.

-I grew up with my mother here on Anima, but my father lives on Patch, near Vale. I never knew him and he doesn't even know I exist, but my mother always told me that I just had to ask to meet him… or even go live with him. I didn't care, I wanted to stay with her, but yet she was always afraid that I would leave… afraid of losing me… So I started to wonder, "What if she was trying to stop me from leaving?" I wanted to know if she really left me the choice… So I tested it… I told him I wanted to go with my father's house… And she…

Words got stuck in her throat. She could not remove from her mind the completely empty gaze, the broken expression she had, by her fault…

Ren said nothing, despite the blank in the account, and waited for her to continue on her own, without showing any sign of impatience. Yang was grateful to him, she would not have had the strength to continue if he had interrupted her. Was that how her mother felt when she first told her about her father? This feeling that she was wrong, that she had done something horrible and that she had to admit it out loud, this difficulty in finding words that would not make her the one to blame, when she knew she was…

-… She took it bad… very bad… But… she still started calling my father… She was really about to do it, but I could see how much it hurt her and… so I stopped her, I told her it wasn't true, that I just wanted to know… She slapped me, she fell to her knees, and she passed out…

In the memory of her mother collapsing on the floor, Yang felt even worse, and brought her legs against her chest to put her head on it. She was so ashamed of what she had done, and say it out loud…

-… And the worst part of it all is that when she woke up… she smiled at me, and she apologized for hurting _me_… Why is she apologizing when it's all my fault? How can she smile at me when I have hurt her?!

Tears of rage began to flow. She felt so bad, and knowing that she wouldn't even be punished for it just disgusted her.

A soft, warm hand rested on her shoulder, and for a moment she felt all her fears and all her anger towards herself disappear. When she raised her head, she saw Ren with his eyes closed, looking focus. After a few seconds, he took off his hand, and Yang felt her anguish come back, but attenuated, calmer, like a fear put in the background the time to do something else.

-Was that your Semblance?

He simply nodded, and sat down.

-Why don't you just tell her?

-What?

-Your mother. Tell her what you just told me.

-But… I'm afraid of how she'll react… And I don't want to hear her apologize again.

-Then, tell her that too.

-…

-Believe me, if you don't tell her how you feel, one day you may regret it. You know what they say, you only understand the importance of something when you lose it.

Yang widened her eyes. The idea of one day losing her mother seemed completely implausible to her, yet she knew it would happen, if she wasn't killed she would die of old age. Until proven otherwise, Ozpin and Salem were the only immortal beings. But it wasn't like she was going to disappear overnight, she had plenty of time to talk to her… But she was suffering right now… So she had to talk to her right now. Who would have thought Ren could give such good advice?

But Raven was resting right now, and considering how exhausted she was, it was better not to disturb her right away.

* * *

Like the first day, they simply walked the streets discussing everything and nothing. Ren and Nora had both seen that Yang's mind was elsewhere, one knowing more than the other, but they made no comment about it, she knew they were there to listen to her if she needed to, and she would talk to them if she wanted to. Their steps carried them from one place to another, with no particular destination, and Nora was alone in most of the conversation. It was relaxing, a little return to simplicity.

The day passed too quickly, and soon the sun began to set. The three children headed to the gates of the village, still so lost in their joyful chatter, talking about when and how they would see each other again, Nora being visibly eager to take revenge on Yang at arm-wrestle, while Ren kept for himself that they would meet again at Beacon.

It was nice to have friends. Not strangers to whom you hardly talk about yourselves, precisely because you don't know them. Nor family that know you so much that you can't hide anything from them. Something just in between, someone with whom you can share everything, without having to.

At the entrance to the village, travelers and merchant carts could be seen arriving to spend the night. And leaning against the little wall, Raven waited, two bags laid at her feet.

Yang swallowed, slowing unconsciously. Her mother still didn't seem angry, she was calm, as usual, but the closer she got, the more Yang saw small details that differed from the ordinary, her hair was tangled and tied to the rush, the dark circles under her eyes were clearly visible, and she still had this blur in her eyes…

-Mom…

-Good evening, ma'am!

-Good evening.

Raven looked at them one by one and gave them a little nod, then stooped down to grab Yang's bag and give it to her without a word.

-Well… Goodbye Yang. I can't wait to see you again! I'm going to crush your head with my super hammer...!

-Take good care of yourself.

Yang wasn't sure what to do, she had never left anyone without knowing when or if she would see them again, those who went on a raid were supposed to come back, and if they died there, she wasn't there to say goodbye. She might be from now on, but it was a different story.

Then, before she could answer, Nora practically threw herself at her and hugged her tightly.

-When they say "goodbye" to you, you're supposed to say goodbye.

"Goodbye," just "goodbye." It was simple, but it was the kind of thing Yang wouldn't have thought about on her own, she just wasn't used to it.

Even though she had a lot of fun, she also learned a lot during the last three days, about money, shops… She had more or less understood how a "normal" child behaved and how their parents treated them, and she had noticed that it wasn't that different from the education she had received, except that she had never whimed or been scolded for disobeying. She had also learned that not everyone agreed on the notion of "normal", some considered that ten years old was a normal age to start training in combat, others thought it was too early and that it was necessary to wait fourteen or even fifteen years old, and still others found it inconceivable to put weapons in the hands of a minor. And there were many like Ren and Nora, who had no parents and had to learn to fight to survive. This was the case for many members of the tribe.

And above all, she had made friends. Real friends.

Yang hugged Nora in return.

-Goodbye…

As she plunged into the forest, walking just behind her mother, she couldn't help but glance at the village, as if she expected her two friends to have followed them and suddenly come out of a bush. Soon, they were too far away to believe this was possible, even if it was necessary to be prepared for everything with Nora.

The sun was now set and it was almost dark, yet Raven kept moving without looking behind her, Yang's footsteps being enough to signal that she was still here. Yang was worried about her mother's condition, was she angry, sad? Or was she angry at herself? Certainly… What if the tribe realized that she wasn't fine? They needed an unwavering leader, what would they do if they saw her like that? Vernal could take over in an emergency, but it would still cause a lot of trouble, she was very strong, but she wasn't enough to keep the tribe under control as well as Raven, and then someone would end up understand that she wasn't really the Spring Maiden…

-Yang.

Yang stopped. Her mother's voice was hard and cold, like when she talked to the tribe, but with a slight tremor. Raven turned, her face lit by the moon. She looked even paler than usual, her eyes were still slightly blurred, and she looked sadder than ever. After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath, and looked her daughter straight in the eye.

-If we go back to the camp now, some things will have to change, and I don't think I can give you another opportunity like this, so I'd like… I _want_ you to tell me once and for all. Do you prefer to go live with your father, have a normal and peaceful life where you will be free to decide your future, or do you prefer to go back with me, continue to go on raid, kill innocent people and destroy villages, and one day take my place as leader?

* * *

BIIIIIIP~ …!

-Tai darling, your Scroll rings!

-Coming!

Tai ran down the stairs. Why did he always have to be so far from his Scroll when he was at home?

BIIIIIIP~ …!

His hand landed on the object just after the second bell, but when he looked at the screen to pick up, he saw only the announcement of a missed call.

-A Tai problem?

-I think my Scroll has a problem.

-Why that?

-Because it says it's Raven who just tried to call me…

Summer jumped off the couch and rushed to her husband's side. That was actually Raven's name at the top of the call log. Why did she try to call? Did she have a serious enough problem for that? And she still had her old Scroll?

-Do you think something happened to her?

-I don't know… We should tell Qrow, he's in Mistral right now, flying he'll quickly reach their camp.

-I tell him right now.

Tai quickly typed a message summarizing what had happened, accompanied by a screenshot of the call log, and sent it to his best friend. It may have been just a call, but he was worried, Raven was living in the wilderness and stubbornly refused to communicate with anyone, especially them, what could have caused her to pull out her old Beacon Scroll and call them, call _him, __only _to hang up after two rings?

-Dad! I want to get out of the bath!

-Coming, sweetheart!

* * *

_-__Fuck you__ Raven… If it's a false alarm I swear-...!_

In the sky, a crow could be seen slowly flying over the Mistral Forest. It didn't look like it, but flying could be exhausting, and Qrow had hardly rested since he took off early in the morning. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried too. Whether angry or not, Raven remained his sister, they had been stuck together all their lives, even before they were born, they had supported themselves to survive and had always shared everything, before or after joining the tribe. Just because she was acting like a bitch for a few years didn't mean he was going to let her die if she needed help!

The sun began to set as Qrow finally saw the top of the sharp logs surrounding the camp. Not seeing his sister outside or in the vicinity, he landed at the back of her tent and lifted the curtain to enter. She wasn't here either. Not very reassuring, what could keep her away from the camp if she wasn't in a raid? He hesitated to enter, as much as the last time he had come at Ozpin's request, as much this time he technically had no reason to be here, and unless she was actually in danger, she would surely not be happy to see him. And knowing that something bad was going on, he really didn't want to play cheeky right now.

An idea came to him. An idea that wouldn't even have come to his mind in normal times. Sitting on the steps in front of the tent, he took out his own Scroll and called her. He hadn't done that for so long that he was surprised to still have her number. Of course, the first year he had tried several times, but he would always come across the answering machine, same for Tai and Summer, so they assumed she had gotten rid of it. Obviously not, so he might as well try his luck.

The first ringing played. Wow… So her Scroll was on at the present time. To say that it had remained extinct for almost nine years…

Second ringing. He had trouble realizing what he was doing, he was there, in front of Raven's tent, calling her to find out why she wasn't at home. It almost looked like a normal situation, if it hadn't been in a bandit camp.

Third ringing. He could not decide whether it was reassuring because she had not hung up, or worrying because she had not picked up yet.

Fourth ringing. The tiny spark of hope that had ignited in him was beginning to extinguish. If she didn't want to talk to him, she would have already refused the call. Hell, she'd have already turn off her Scroll! What could prevent her from answering?

Fifth ringing.

… No, no fifth ringing. Just a very slight sizzle. Like if… Qrow took the Scroll out of his ear and looked at the screen. She'd picked up the phone.

-… Raven…?

No answer.

-Raven, do you hear me?

A rustle was heard on the other side, proving that there was someone, but still no answer, just a long silence. Qrow was increasingly worried…

-Is everything okay? Do you need help or something?

That was the only explanation he had, why else would she try to reach them by phone instead of using her portals? Again, Raven did not answer, but Qrow had the intuition that she was listening to him. That would be the first time… And like an idiot, he didn't know what to say. He might try to convince her to come back, but he didn't like to use a moment of weakness, especially with Raven. He knew her well enough to know how she worked, when everything was normal, she was too stubborn, it was almost impossible to make her listen anything, but she also had her moments, moments when she snapped, she let go on everything, she let herself be overwhelmed by the constant pressure on her shoulders, and she no longer had the mental strength to resist anything.

It wasn't something common, it must have happened two or three times at most, even Tai and Summer had never seen her in this state, she would never allow herself to look weak in front of someone other than her twin brother, and it asked a lot to push her to her limit. After all, no matter how pretentious she could be and no matter if she ran away from the fight against Salem, he had to admit that Raven was strong, very strong, both physically and mentally, that was partly why they had been also shocked when she left. Even though he knew there were exceptions, Raven never gave up, she never ran away, she never betrayed.

And now she was snapping again. He had lost contact with her for too long to know what might have happened to her. Maybe she was the one who left, but he'd be mad at him all his life if he wasn't there for her at times like this. All of a sudden, all the animosity between them in recent years just disappeared.

-Sis… Tell me what's wrong …

She did not answer immediately, but he could hear her sniffing. Was she crying? Raven was crying? Wow…

-I made a mistake…

Qrow had to resist with all his might the urge to ask "Just one?". It was not the time and he knew it, so he fell silent, and waited for her to continue.

-… I… I did exactly what I blame Ozpin for… And I'm losing someone precious to me because of it…

Ouch… Now, Qrow did not know what to do, he had never understood what Raven was accusing Ozpin, he only knew that she hated him and didn't trust him in any way, whatever the subject… Yet if there was one person they could all believe in, it was Ozpin.

But Raven did not trust him, or rather no __longer__ trusted him for some reason, and for that same reason someone was moving away from her… And he had absolutely no idea what that reason could be. He could hear his sister sobbing on the other side, surely waiting for advice, or at least an answer. It was bad…

-And… who is that person…?

He was okay with putting aside their differences to help her when she really needed it, but he still needed a minimum of information for that.

Raven did not answer, Qrow heard her blowing her nose and breathing hard to try to regain her composure. The open up to the others Raven was leaving as quickly as she came. In other words, he had to choose his words carefully, otherwise she would hang up on him, and not answer for a very, very long time. Or even never.

-You don't have to know that now.

-Then I may not be able to help you on this one.

All the heat between them had just been thrown out the window, the tone had become cold again, and if they were in front of each other, they would shoot themselves with their eyes. The Raven who can be talked to was gone, leaving only the unpleasant Raven who looked down on everyone. And Qrow knew he couldn't get anything more from her, even if she needed help she wouldn't ask for it, wouldn't accept it. It was the end of all friendly discussions. He regretted it, it had been a good opportunity to maybe bring her back, but this opportunity had passed through his fingers.

_-Fuck… _

He expected her to hang up without adding anything, but instead there was a time of silence, as if she were hesitating, or rather as if she were thinking. Maybe all hopes were not lost this time? He had to try.

-Raven? Still here?

There was another long silence before Raven answered. Her voice was cold, as she had always been, but there was a background of sadness, a remnant of her previous sobs that she could easily hide if she did not care so much. So again, Qrow listened.

-Just tell me… If that person ever needs help and I send her to you… Promise me you'll help her.

Qrow should have hesitated, he should have asked himself questions, he should have _asked___ h____er__ questions. But for any reason, he didn't.

-I promise.

He heard her sigh with relief. At this time, him being a Huntsman and her being a bandit did not matter, because they were above all siblings. They had known each other for so long that they couldn't remember, and if someone counted enough in Raven's heart that she would ask him for help, then he would do so without hesitation. That's what the family was for after all. Even when they were angry with each other.

-Thank you little brother.

This time, she hung up, for good.

* * *

-If we go back to the camp now, some things will have to change, and I don't think I can give you another opportunity like this, so I'd like… I _want_ you to tell me once and for all. Do you prefer to go live with your father, have a normal and peaceful life where you will be free to decide your future, or do you prefer to go back with me, continue to go on raid, kill innocent people and destroy villages, and one day take my place as leader?

A heavy silence fell on the forest. Raven could see the confusion in Yang's eyes, she had already made her choice after all, she had already said that she didn't want to go with her father, that she had just lied to test her. But it was no longer just a matter of living with daddy or mommy. It was a matter of choosing between being a civilian or a bandit, a legal or illegal life. A peaceful life, or a life in the blood of innocent people. She already had blood on her hands, but she could still go back, there were still people who would welcome her and love her even though she had done so far. But if she returned to the camp, if she stayed in the tribe, then Raven could no longer afford to pamper her as she had done before, otherwise she would never move forward. She would be treated like any child who would join the tribe at that age, the weight of being their future leader in addition.

Raven wanted to keep her daughter with her, she didn't want her taken away from her, but she also wanted to give her a normal life. However, she had to admit the evidence, she would not find it in the tribe. So she warned her, she gave her one last chance to leave, to preserve the small part of innocence she had managed to maintain after the raid, and to have a happy life as a fairy tales. It was possible, but with Tai and Summer, not with Raven.

Yang blinked a few times, then lowered her head to reflect. Raven was afraid of her answer, but strangely, she didn't feel as terrified as she had been the other times she faced her with that choice. Perhaps because she no longer saw her daughter as a child, a fragile little girl whom she had to protect, whom she would do anything to keep her at her side. As if she had accepted the idea of seeing her go, because she knew that she would not have to worry, that there was someone she could trust to catch her on the other side of her portal.

This time, Yang's happiness didn't just come first, it was the __only__ thing that mattered.

Raven's gaze crossed Yang's, it was full of determination, not the slightest trace of hesitation. She understood what her mother meant, she knew what her answer meant. Raven felt that there were still things that her daughter wanted to say to her, subjects that they could discuss for a long time in order to put things clear, but they couldn't do so anymore, they couldn't spread out as much before taking a decision, and Raven even wondered how she herself could have become so used to do so.

No, now she had to function as she had always done. A choice, a decision, no hesitation, no return. It was the only way they could get out of this mess. And Yang seemed to have understood that.

-I come with you.

* * *

-Be at the entrance in fifteen minutes, no delay tolerated.

-Yes Mother.

Raven nodded and walked out of the tent, while Yang went to her room to pack her things. It would be her second raid, and the first since her resolutions, nearly a month earlier. She was obviously not an adult, and she would be laughed at if she said she was a teenager at eight, but she was definitely no longer a child. The change had been brutal, and she had struggled at first, but she made it.

First, she had received real hours for her "chores." Of course, she had never seen them as such, she had always participated in cooking or washing dishes without ever complaining, unlike others, but now she could no longer do what she wanted. Unless otherwise stated, she helped Ramy in the kitchen at lunchtime, took part in evening dishes, laundry once a week, and maintained the weapons after raid. It wasn't a lot compared to the other members, but unlike them, her remaining time was not just free time. She had training schedules, and a minimum number of patrols to participate in per week.

Most importantly, her mother had begun to form her to lead the tribe. For now it wasn't much, she was mainly learning to plan raids: deciding the village according to many criteria, choosing when to attack, who to take, making groups, predicting the weather conditions, checking the inventory before and after, giving some an accurate list of material and food to take… It was much more technical than it seemed, and it was this flawless organization that made raids so easy, just apply the instructions. It was a huge job, and Yang was impressed to see how effective her mother was.

Speaking of Raven, their relationship had evolved too. Yang had decided on her own to no longer call her "mom" but "Mother," she would not jump around her neck every time they were separated for more than twenty minutes, and she was much wiser when they were just the two of them. People could think they became further, but they had never been so close. An approving nod with a smile was worth as much or more to Yang's eyes as an embrace accompanied by a "I'm so proud of you little bird!". And in every situation where before Raven would have come to help her, now she watch her do it without intervening, until Yang has succeeded on her own. The undisguised pride in her mother's smile at that moment was priceless. Raven simply didn't need to talk anymore so her daughter knew how much she loved her and was proud of her.

Of course, it felt very strange for them at first, but they quickly got used to it, faster than they thought. Raven had always been very cuddly with Yang, and Yang was a real ball of energy. One would have expected that all that imposed discipline would be hard to assimilate, and yet things have been much better since then.

But there was still one step to go through.

With her bag on her back and her dagger at her hip, Yang came out of the main tent and walked through the camp, with her back straight, her head up, looking straight ahead, like the future leader she was. It was hard to stay so rigid, it didn't look like something she would do, she wanted to run and jump everywhere as stress and impatience gnawed at her. But she couldn't be like that anymore, she couldn't be a child if she took part to the raids. That was what she decided, she thought long and hard about it, torturing her mind all the time she spent in this little village, and made her choice, no one forced her to do so, it was her decision and she would assume it.

A large group was gathered at the entrance, and the crowd broke up to let her pass. They too had understood that the girl who ran between the tents had left her place, that she had lost that spark of innocence that differentiated her from the rest of the tribe. You could say she graduated. People who called her "princess" as a joke now thought so seriously, because if Raven had everything of a bandit queen, then Yang was undeniably their princess. She wasn't the strongest yet, but there was no doubt that she was on track to become one, especially now.

After a few more minutes, Raven arrived too, her weapon to the hip and helmet on her face, as imposing and impressive as she had always been before the tribe. With a gesture, she opened a portal.

* * *

Yang lands on the floor, lifting a small cloud of dust.

There she was again. It was not the same village as the first time, but when you come to kill, every villages looked the same. Houses were still burning, cries were ringing with the same intensity, and blood was still pouring out on the floor, the blood of innocent people, who ran inns, shops, who stayed at home to take care of their children, nice children like Ren and Nora, peaceful villages that had asked for nothing.

Yang took a deep breath to regain her composure, then forced herself to look at what was going on around her, the chaos and death spread by her tribe. A blade under the throat on one side, a bullet in the belly on the other, broken windows, burned houses, probably whole families massacred inside, innocent children, loving parents.

-The weak die, the strong live. I chose this life.

Drawing her weapon, Yang darted.

* * *

**Hey****! **

**Yep, no meeting between Yang and h****er**** father finally, sorry to have made you hope for nothing n_n' But you have to know that basically, these last three chapters ****were supposed to be only ****one, but it was ultimately too complex to fit in 10,000 words, so I cut and add****ed**** elements, like Ren and Nora (no, they were absolutely not ****supposed to meet Yang in the first version****). The purpose of this ****narrative arc**** was just supposed to deal with Yang's first murder, her acceptance of killing, and a big gain in maturity, nothing more, and then I realized in writing the raid passage that she actually did not know the "normal" life and that it was going to annoy me for the rest, and from thread to needle*, I filled 30,000 words XD**

**So it was the story of the first big ****narrative arc**** of the fic ****and it**** was absolutely not planned! Unlike the next one, which was completely planned from the beginning, since even before I started writing this fic n_n**

**But I don't tell you any more so as not to spoil the surprise too much XD**

**See you next week!**

*******from thread to needle****: ****french expression to say "from one thing to another"**


	6. Chap 6 : Fall

****Hello ! ****

****How are you today ? Fine ? Then let me ruin your day !****

*****cough*****

****So, I won't talk a lot here this time but, concerning this chap, keep well in mind when you read that it was planned from the _very beginning_ XD****

****Also, I use the lyrics of the song "All our days" from volume 2 ********during the chap********, just to pretend we hear it in the background, so I ********suggest******** you listen to it at least once before ********reading********, ********just to**** ****keep it ********in mind, even listen to it ****_**_while _**_****you read but there you will just be suicidal… ****

****I let you understand why n_n****

* * *

.

-Aren't you a little young to be drinking?

Yang rolled her eyes, suppressing a laugh. She was ten years old and her head barely protruded from the counter, of course she wasn't there to drink alcohol. Although she had already had the opportunity to try several times when her mother wasn't looking.

-Just a soda please.

The manager smiled at her and bent down to grab a can under the counter. Yang took the opportunity to let her hand go around the side of the chocolate bars, before returning to her jacket pocket as if nothing happened, a silly smile stuck on her face.

-And that's it for you young girl.

-Thank you sir!

-Tell me, are you all alone here? Where are your parents?

-They left for work for a few days, so I take this opportunity to skip school.

-I see, you're a little rebel huh?

-Yep!

The man laughed softly and Yang displayed a big toothy smile as she used to do it. It was so easy for a little girl to get everything she wanted, just had to be aware of it.

With the can under her arm, she took out a purse in the shape of a cat's head and opened it. Only a few coins were in.

-Oops, I forgot, deprived of pocket money this week… Too bad, goodbye sir.

With a hint of disappointment in her eyes, she put the can on the counter and started to walk away, when the manager's voice held her back.

-You know what, little girl? Since you are cute, I offer it to you if you promise not to skip school again, deal?

__-Bingo!__

And Yang left the gas station store with a can in her hand, and treats in her pockets. It was too easy. Even if she could have almost everything she wanted during raids, being offered fresh soda straight out of the fridge, and chocolate bars not yet melted, was just as satisfying.

A wingbeat later, she was back in the camp. She could fly over the barrier, but she got used to the feeling of pride she felt when the guards at the entrance stood at attention on her way, whereas in the past they just greeted her with a smile. In fact, she appreciated more and more her new status of "princess", even if the nickname began to annoy her. She was a warrior and she never wore a dress! The old ones spoke to her less colloquially, the new ones respected and feared her almost as much as Raven, and some were even real boot lickers. But all these honors were not for nothing, she worked for it. She actively participated in the preparation of the raids, was one of the most effective to kill the Grimm, and it was her who organized the groups and schedules of the patrols. No one could say she was lazy.

So yes, from time to time, she could afford some free snacks.

-Hey Yang!

Yang sighed and stopped. A boy was running to her, his hair was short and curly brown, clad under a woolen cap.

-Antonin…

When he finally reached her, Antonin was already out of breath. He had only been in the tribe for a few weeks, and Yang found it difficult to bear him. He was only one year older than her, but he wasn't even able to properly hold a sword or aim with a gun. In fact, the only reason the tribe took him was because he had a very effective quick healing Semblance, which was far too rare to ignore. And then he did his chores without complaining, so he wasn't a such burden.

The problem was that he was the __worst __of boot lickers…

-So you come back from location?

-Nope, just wanted a cool drink.

To support her claims, she raised the can of soda still in her hand.

-Oh I see, a little refreshment before training?

-Not this time, Mother and I are planning next week's raid. We're targeting a big village to prepare for winter, there may be more Huntsmen than usual and we'll have a lot of provisions to bring back, so it takes a lot of work on the organization.

-Of course, it is true that you are also a great help in planning for-…

Yang left without listening to him. How the new guys could be so stupid sometimes… Antonin was obviously not the first to try to go through her to get into Raven's good graces, but he was the first to be almost the same age as her, so in addition of being a boot licker, it was only a matter of time before he started flirting with her. And Yang couldn't wait to see her mother's reaction at that moment.

Speaking of Raven, she hadn't been here all day. Even though she didn't overwork herself as much as before, she was still doing her best for the tribe, especially during times like this when it was necessary to prepare for winter, so it was strange that nobody would even see her. But there was no reason to worry, it was Raven after all. Upon entering the tent, Yang took the chocolate bars out of her pocket and started eating one while studying the inventory lists. They needed to replenish the food stock for the month, and start making a supply of dry and no-perishable food. They didn't seem to lack blankets, but that point was less urgent anyway. However, in the case of Yang, her winter clothes from the previous year had become too small, so she should think about taking on new ones.

She worked still for a good hour before realizing that the sun was setting. Antonin came to bring her her meal, complimenting her on her hard work, before being kicked out in the butt, mocking laughter echoing outside. Of course everyone had notice his attitude towards the "princess", and knew he had absolutely no chance. For her part, Yang ate with her plate on her lap and a map of the region under her eyes, lit by an electric lamp which she brought back from a previous raid. Sometimes she had to buy batteries, because finding the right kind during the raids would take too long, so she would just fly to the nearest civilization to restock. And no, she didn't always bother paying them.

The night eventually fell, and Yang felt her eyelids close by themselves. Her mother not being around did not mean that she could rest, on the contrary, if Raven was not here to prepare the raid, then it was up to her to do so. But after hours of work, she could no longer keep her head from falling limply on the table, her empty plate placed next to her. She had been so absorbed that she had forgotten her chore of washing up, but she didn't take advantage of this time to relax so she didn't feel guilty for letting someone replace her for once.

After sleeping for a while, she was awakened by the faint noise of the tent curtain, and a few seconds later, a slight "click" came before the heat of the lamp disappeared. Then she felt two hands put on her shoulders and gently pull her back. She protested slightly, muttering, but only a slight laugh answered her as one arm passed under her shoulders and another under her legs. Too tired to protest more, Yang kept her eyes closed and let her head rest against her mother's chest. It reminded her a bit of when she was a child and sat between her legs to listen to a story of magic, and usually ended up falling asleep like that. Sweet moments that belonged only to them. Sometimes she missed these moments…

After a few seconds of floating in the warm, strong arms of her mother, she felt her back touch the futon. Yang clung to Raven's top, refusing to let her go. It may have been because of the fatigue, but the feeling of being a little girl again was so attractive right now…

She felt more than she heard her mother sigh, before putting her in bed anyway and pulling the blanket over her. But she didn't leave, she sat down and gently ran a hand through her hair. Yang didn't know what got her preferential treatment compared to usual, but she wasn't going to complain about it.

-You grow up too fast…

For a moment believing that her mother was going to leave, Yang grabbed her hand and pressed it against her head to prevent her from getting up. It was useless, she was half asleep, she didn't have the slightest strength to hold her back, nevertheless it seemed sufficient, because Raven remained at her side.

\- "Long ago, before we met, I dreamed about you…"

Yang frowned in amazement, it was the first time she heard her mother sing, she always preferred stories over lullabies when she was young. But her voice was much softer than it usually was, less hoarse, like when she told her stories as a child… It was great…

\- "… The peace you'd bring, the songs we'd sing, the way you'd make things new…"

A little reluctantly, Yang withdrew her hand from her mother's, who started to run her fingers through the golden curls again.

\- "… Then one day, you arrived, I heard your angel cry… Helpless, small, and perfect, welcome to your life…"

Raven's voice was so soft and melodious that Yang could do nothing but be lulled, half-listening to the kind lyrics.

\- "… And on that day, I made a vow, whispered and true. No matter what, no matter how, I made this promise to you…"

The sounds became more and more distant as Yang was about to fall asleep again for good. She forced herself to open her eyes, it was dark and she could see blurry, but she would recognize her mother's figure between a thousand, with her long curly black hair, her smooth and pale skin, and her red eyes shining like rubies to the weak bluish light of the moon which passed between the sides of the tent.

\- "… I will cling, I will clutch, I'll hold onto you, I won't turn away… I won't leave, I won't go, I will stay with you all our days…"

Feeling tiredness take over her, Yang closed her eyes and pulled the blanket up a little higher. She felt the familiar smell of mint tea reach her nose, as a few strands of hair tickled her cheek, and a kiss was placed on her forehead.

\- "… I will stay with you all our days…"

* * *

Raven couldn't help but smile when she saw her daughter sleeping like a baby. Since that story two years ago, she had stopped being so tender with her, and they both agreed on it. But sometimes, seeing how much Yang was doing her best and worked hard for the functioning of the tribe… She still felt this guilt for making her live that, for having taken her childhood. But now she was more serene, because she knew that Yang had made her choice, that it was what she wanted, that nobody forced her to.

-Sleep well little bird.

How long had it been since the last time she called her that? For too long apparently, she missed it.

Without a sound, she left the room. It would soon be time for Yang to have her own tent, but for now, Raven liked to keep her with her. On the table, the cards and lists of supplies were still spread out, a pen had lazily rolled to the floor, while an empty plate was waiting alone in a corner where it would not interfere. It was quite confusing to see that a ten year old kid was able to plan an attack with so many men like a military strategist, the result of a mixture of a strategic spirit and a foolproof motivation. Raven wondered for a moment if she would have been so meticulous growing up with her father, Tai was more like a "punch everything" type after all…

No, that was not the kind of question she had to think about. For now, she had to tidy up all this mess… While she had the papers in her hands, Raven sighed when she realized that she had left absolutely all the work to her daughter. Even assuming the "bandit" part of their lives, she continued to be a pathetic mother. Well, at least she was used to it now...

Her gaze fell on the case she had brought with her. It had taken a lot of time and money, but she finally managed to get a real weapon for Yang, perfectly suited to her abilities. Two tanto of an ideal length, long enough for her to have enough range, and short enough not to hinder her movements, because even if she knew how to handle a katana, it would be a waste not to exploit her natural talent for hand-to-hand combat. There was also a Dust tank in the handle, to inject it into a hollow cylinder inside the blade and launch devastating attacks. She had also managed to get a special belt to transport Dust's cartridges. And finally, even if she didn't really know what Yang would do with this option, the blades could break away and be connected to their handles only by a long wire, extremely solid and resistant to high temperatures thanks to an alloy partly composed of Ice Dust, to which she had even added a touch of magic, with a retraction system powerful and fast enough to decapitate a Grimm. Yang was formidable in close combat, and with the Dust's chamber she was dangerous at medium distance, but Raven had long thought about a solution for long-range combat. Then she saw Yang spin her dagger in one hand and then in the other with almost frightening ease and nonchalance. She had first thought about something resembling a whip, then speaking with the weapon maker, they had drifted to the wire system.

She really hoped that she'd like it, the first weapon was something important, symbolic. Much less for a bandit than for a Huntsman, yes, but still. Besides, she had been waiting for this for so long.

Raven put the case in the center of the coffee table, clearly visible, Yang could not miss it when she'd get up the next morning. All her tasks done, she also got ready to sleep, placing her sword against her bed and removing the armor on her forearms, as well as the gloves she wore underneath. Her gaze fell on her wedding ring, the last trace that Tai had once loved her. The only trace except Yang. And compared to her so loved daughter, this ring, once so precious to her, seemed to be just one of many jewels.

Raven untied her hair and put away the red scarf that held it in her personal trunk. She was about to take off her boots, when screams outside caught her attention. It could have been just an argument between the members of the night watch, it was unfortunately not uncommon, but the rapid multiplication of voices and panic in them told her that the situation was more serious than that. So she quickly attached her weapon to her hip and left the tent. Outside there was a hustle and bustle near the entrance to the camp.

-What's going on?

-Grimm!

Simple Grimm would not cause such panic, something serious was happening. Before Raven could ask for clarification, Vernal came to her, almost as panicked as the others.

-Salem found us!

* * *

Yang was sleeping soundly, when an annoying buzz began to echo around her. She turned a first time trying to ignore it, but the volume of the noise increased, preventing her from going back to sleep. With a groan, she emerged her head from her pillow, and looked around her before getting up and leaving her room, rubbing her eyes, still half asleep. The noise got louder as she approached of outside. It was the middle of the night, who would-…

Yang quickly turned back to her room, and in an instant, she was perfectly awake, her dagger in her hand as she ran out of the tent. A Beowolf immediately jumped on her, but it only ended up with a skilfully cut throat. Unfortunately, it was only one of the dozens of Grimm who decided to attack the camp together that night. The barrier supposed to protect them had fallen, and some logs had even crashed on tents, blood coming from inside formed large dark spots on the fabric. Two massive Deathstalker crossed the camp right through, crushing everything on their path, people or equipment, and leaving their easily recognizable footprints in the ground. Beowolves, Ursa and Boarbatusk were also present, shredding everything that went through their teeth. Finally, two Nevermore flew in a circle above their heads. Many tents burned after flying on lighted torches, and the smoke that filled the air did not even prevent seeing the carnage. The ground was already soaked with blood, and it was impossible to look anywhere without a horribly mutilated corpse entering the vision. It was even worse than during the raids.

__-____W____hat ____the fuck is____ going on here?!__

No, it wasn't time to think, it was the time to fight. With her dagger in her hand, Yang seemed to fly between the Grimm, cutting their throats in the process. There were many of them, too many of them. How could so many Grimm have found the camp? Were there even that many Grimm in the forest? She had never heard about Nevermore in the area! Or even Deathstalker in Anima!

A cry echoed to her right and she ran, her blade sinking into the eye of a Boarbatusk, and as it screamed in pain, Yang grabbed Shay's arm and pulled him further. His right leg had been trampled on, and a trickle of blood flowed from a corner of his forehead, he couldn't defend himself alone in this carnage, and there was nowhere to hide or heal the injured, everything was devastated and everyone was too busy fighting for their own lives. Yang looked down at the man she had just saved. He was wounded, helpless, __weak__, but he was from the tribe, from __h____er__ tribe, her __family __was dying right now! Weak or not weak, she was their future leader, they were all under her protection, she would not let anyone-…

Wait a Minute…

-Where is my mother?

-At the entrance… She… she's facing… an enemy… a guy… of Salem…

Salem? Was it Salem who sent all these Grimm? But why? The tribe had never been on her way! Raven didn't oppose her! She wasn't even on Ozpin's side! She hated him! Why would Salem attack them with such force?!

Before realizing it, Yang was running towards the entrance. Salem didn't use to send random Huntsmen, and who knew what powers she could have given them, if Raven had been held long enough for the situation to become that bad, she had to face someone powerful, she might even be injured, or-… No, she didn't want to think about that. But the possibility that her mother might be already dead refused to leave her mind as her legs and her panic guided her at top speed. She no longer even paid attention to the massacre around her, the bodies she spanned. Her eyes started to sting because of the smoke, but she didn't care, her mother might be in danger! And she had already lost enough family members for tonight!

As she approached the entrance, she could hear the sound of metals hit, not a sound you could hear when hitting a Grimm! The fight was still going on and it was raging! Raven was still-…

A powerful impact noise sounded, and something was violently thrown through the air, landing against a rock with a cracking sound, as a black katana fell near there in a metallic rattle.

Yang froze.

-Mother …?

Only an insane laugh a little further answered her. A silhouette gradually appeared behind the smoke, and finally, a woman came out. She wore a white dress full of frills and lace, like a doll's dress, but she was stained with splashes of warm blood. Her pale pink hair was cut square and tied in a half-tail by a large white bow. Her face was covered with a broad smile and an air of ecstasy that made her look completely mad, contrasting with the innocent style of her outfit.

As she advanced, the enormous medieval jousting spear that she dragged with her right hand effortlessly left a deep furrow in the ground. She quietly approached her target, impatient to plant the point of her weapon in her chest, and Raven didn't move, she was lying on the ground, inert, blood had stained the rock where her head had met it and was sinking now on her face. And her katana was too far from her for her to defend herself at the last moment. She was going to get killed. No. It was impossible. Raven was strong, stronger than everyone else, and she had to save the tribe, she couldn't die now!

The woman with the spear stopped halfway, and stared in amazement at the little girl who had just got in her way. She must have been ten or eleven at most, was armed only with a simple dagger, all her body trembled in fear, and she seemed on the point of crying. And yet she was facing her, she wasn't leaving like the others, and her bright red eyes were burning with fiery rage. A red that strangely reminded that of the eyes of her target… Not just her eyes actually…

-No ~! Don't tell me she has a daughter!

Yang felt her anger boiling when she saw the person responsible for this massacre laugh again like a madwoman. Her brown pupils were so narrowed from her wide eyes that you could barely notice them, but it was her carnivorous smile that attracted all the attention anyway.

-How adorable it is from you to want to protect your dear mommy! But you see, Her Grace has told me to kill her. Oh, not that she particularly bothered us, but if you guys wanted to keep your Maiden a secret, then you should have avoided influencing the weather every time you attacked one of those small pathetic villages full of poor assholes. It may be discrete for normal people, but for those who know that magic-…

The woman stopped herself in the middle of her sentence to dodge an attack from Yang. The latter rolled several meters after the kick she had just taken in the back, which had been enough to break her aura. When the blonde looked up, she noticed two things: the woman with the spear was walking towards her with her disturbed smile on her face, and she was walking away from Raven. Good.

-You have guts, I give you that. And I admit that I tend to talk too much. Her Grace reproached it to me you know? So when my daughter learned to speak, I slit her throat! Oh don't worry, not in a way that would kill her, but I doubt she will ever talk again! I did not keep her much longer unfortunately, my duty to my Queen took me all my time, so I had more important things to do than taking care of a baby. She should be a little younger than you now. I wonder how she is going, what was her name again?

Yang's rage only grew with each word this woman said. She didn't care about her story, she just wanted to stab her in the heart for daring to attack her family! With a cry of anger, Yang stood up and was about to follow up on her murderous thoughts, her blood was boiling more than ever before, and her vision was limited to the madwoman in front of her.

But blinded as she was, she didn't see the attack coming, and found herself thrown back again, her dagger landing somewhere behind her. With a groan, she tried to get up once more, but fell back on her side, squinting at the pain in her arm, where the spear had hit her. Despite everything, she forced herself to open her eyes to continue fighting.

She should have kept them closed.

She straightened up on her knees, and, her gaze fixing a nonexistent point on the ground to turn away from the horror show she had glimpsed, she slowly, very slowly brought her left hand to her right arm. But she encountered only the void, then the blood which flowed profusely, and one of her fingers even touched the end of her bone.

In terror or pain, Yang didn't know, but she cried louder than ever before.

-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

* * *

It was silent, and calm. Raven liked the calm. After all, you always wanted what you didn't have. Although she had moments of calm, the evening after the meal, when she shared a cup of tea with Yang. When she was young, she told her about her day, what chores she had participated in, what anecdotes Ramy had told her, how many people Vernal had to shout at… She took that from her father, this ability to transform banal things into a grandiloquent adventure. She took a lot from him, his hair color, his good humor, his lack of self-control, his evenness, his honesty… his love of general fights… Ah, Raven no longer counted the number of times a summer party or a new year had turned into a teeth-breaking theater, and where a fearless little blonde gitl had gladly joined the artists rather than enjoying the show.

She had grown so much since that time, she had become more serious, more thoughtful, more mature, she no longer participated in such "childish" activities. But her hand still clung firmly to her clothes to refrain from joining the fights rather than stop them. She couldn't change her daredevil nature, no one could, she would always stay like that inside of her, cheerful and reckless, and Raven would continue to sigh and turn a blind eye every time her daughter did something stupidly reckless. She was her mother after all, and the day Yang would really be in danger, she wouldn't hesitate a second before rushing to help her. Even if it meant putting her own life at stake.

-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Raven's eyes suddenly opened wide when she heard an overly familiar voice cry out in agony. The situation came back to her like a hammer blow in the stomach. The attack. Salem. The Grimm. The madwoman. But it all went out of her mind when she realized the horrible nightmare that unfolded a few meters from her. Yang was on her knees, tears flowed abundantly from her eyes, in which nothing was read but pure terror as she trembled with all her being. But the worst was the condition of her right arm, or rather the absence of her right arm.

The madwoman stood before her, slowly raising her massive weapon above her head and overhanging Yang with all her height. She could decapitate her any second. And Yang did not move, petrified with fear. She was going to get killed.

__-No.__

The spear lowered, a large amount of blood flew through the air, and the horror in Yang's eyes grew when she saw who it belonged to.

Raven put a knee on the ground so as not to collapse. She had never been so fast to open and pass through a portal, it required a lot of energy, she didn't want to know how many bones she had got broken from the first part of the fight, she felt the blood from her head injury trickling down her face, and now she had a deep wound from the left shoulder to the right hip. But she didn't care.

Her eyes literally burned in rage as a fireball hit her opponent head on and sent her flying away. Raven was too weak to inflict real damage, but she could still gain a few seconds. It was all she needed.

A dagger made of ice materialized in her hand, and with a movement of her arm, a portal opened.

-Go! Now!

Yang didn't react, she remained frozen, staring at her mother with wide eyes, filled with pain, fear, and supplication. But it wouldn't work this time.

-Yang! Do what I say! Now!

-B-But…

\- IT'S AN ORDER YANG!

The mad laugh of the woman in white reached Raven. She didn't have much time left. So despite the unbearable pain from her wounds, she turned completely, leaned over, grabbed Yang by her left arm, and lifted her to stand. Their eyes met, and Raven managed to show a smile.

-I am proud of you.

Yang widened her eyes even more, if it was possible, and opened her mouth to protest, but Raven didn't give her the time to and pushed her through the portal, which closed immediately after her.

Yang was safe.

A slight sigh of relief passed her lips, before she had to hold back a howl of pain when she felt the spear sink into her back and come out through her belly.

-Don't you know that you should never turn your back on an opponent? I would have thought that the Spring Maiden herself would be more clever than that!

She yanked the weapon out, and Raven had to resist with all her might to keep from collapsing. Her eyes fell on her wounds, it was a miracle that she was still conscious after losing so much blood. The strength of maternal love surely. But now she felt herself wobble. She would be killed by this woman if she didn't succumb before. But strangely, dying, even at the hands of a Salem pawn, didn't bother her as much as she thought. After all, the camp had been ravaged, all the bandits massacred, the tribe no longer existed, her team had been going without her for years, and Yang was in good hands. She had nothing to worry about after her death.

…

There was. Yes, there was one last thing she still had to worry about. If Raven died now, Yang wouldn't be safe, not if that crazy woman didn't die tonight!

-Well? Still want to fight? I must admit that I am impressed. But let's see what you can do in your state!

Not so much, unfortunately. Her katana was far away, she was badly injured, and her powers would not be powerful enough to serve any purpose or cause real damages. But she couldn't die before she got rid of her.

With as much strength as she could use right now, she ignited the palm of her hand and pinned it over all of her open wounds to cauterize them. If she had to fight, her blood would be more useful in her body than on the floor. Not having her sword at hand and having to save her energy, she drew a blade of Ice Dust and moved into position. The material was already freezing her hands and the edge cut the inside of her fingers to the bones, but something so small was not going to stop her.

\- "Fight until the last breath" eh? It's gonna be fun!

The madwoman also raised her weapon, just as covered with blood as her dress, which was surely deliberately white. And in all that red, there was Yang's blood. The thought gave Raven a boost of energy, and she pounced on her opponent, who sighed with a disappointed look.

\- Like mother like daughter I guess.

She gave a quick horizontal blow which would have beheaded anyone on the way, both by force and by speed. But Raven was not just anyone. Earlier she had been too distracted by the cries of desperation of the members of her tribe, by not being able to go to help them, by not knowing if Yang was okay, by not even knowing if she was awake! But now that it was all over, that everyone had perished or run, that Yang was far away and safe, and that the only sounds that reached her were the crackling of the flames and the frantic beating of her own heart, the Grimm having all gone running after their prey, she had no problem seeing the blow coming. Dodging it was another story, she could almost hear her broken bones creaking in her legs and arms, but the desire to protect her daughter allowed her to overcome the excruciating pain. The spear passed a few inches above her head, and she took advantage of her momentum as she straightened up and the surprise of her opponent to strike her with as much force as she could. Raven may have been very weak at the moment, she had to admit, but she was strong enough under normal circumstances that even in this state, a single blow was enough to break the Aura of a trained fighter, the ice was just a bonus.

This woman was strong and fast, but in the end, she was only swinging a sharp club. Raven was a brilliant strategist and an excellent swordwoman who had spent her life maintaining and improving her abilities, always with the aim of using them to protect those she cared about, Qrow, her tribe, Tai, Summer, and now Yang. This woman had massacred her tribe and took an arm to her daughter.

Raven would not lose this fight.

-How-…! You fucking b-…!

Raven didn't give her time to refocus. Her enemy tended to easily digress and she would use it. The blade in her hands having already dissolved, she drew out a new one, a purplish black. If she played her cards well, she could do it. She would do it. She __had ___to_ do it. For Yang.

However, the woman with the spear rushed first, her weapon lowering with rage and leaving a huge crater where Raven was the second before. Looking around frantically, she saw the bandits' leader lying on the ground further, getting up once more. She was seriously getting tired of it, she liked to see people die, but this bitch refused to die! And she couldn't even finish the brat!

In a furious gesture, she swung her spear behind her to give more impetus to her next shot, but to her surprise, her usually so deliciously heavy weapon had become as light as a feather, to the point of flying away when its owner, because of the surprise, temporarily released her grip. As she watched the spear soar through the sky like if gravity had no effect on her, she saw the light from the fire reflecting off what looked like tiny crystals hanging from the metal.

-__Gravity Dust?! ____Wha- ____Did she plan that?! But then____-…!__

Sharp chest pain got her out of her thoughts. Slowly lowering her eyes, she saw the tip of a red blade protrude from her bust at the place of her heart.

-Never turn your back on an opponent…

Raven brutally removed the Fire Dust blade, and did not wait for the woman to react before giving a long horizontal blow, leaving a trail of flames behind the blade. The madwoman's body fell, while her head rolled somewhere in the background. The fire lit at her neck and at her heart by the Dust was already beginning to consume what was left of her corpse. She was dead.

It was over.

Raven fell on her knees and spat out a large amount of blood, then looked around. Blood that painted the earth red, corpses which she recognized each face that was not disfigured, flames that devoured everything they passed, reducing to ashes everything that had survived the attack. Perhaps some sort of justice actually existed, so that a tribe of bandits like them ended up disappearing in the exact same way as the countless villages that they had mercilessly destroyed, while her, their leader, was condemned to contemplate the spectacle of their end until her very last moments. Alone.

Something came back to her mind. With strengths she didn't even know she still had, she got up and limped to her katana. Taking it with one hand, she pressed the other on the wound on her stomach which had reopened somewhen during the fight and started to bleed profusely again. It didn't really matter anymore, but she still needed to hold on, just a little, just a little bit.

She couldn't say how long it took to make it to her tent, she didn't paid attention to that, nor to the smoke she had inhaled or the heat of the flames around her. She had only one thing in mind, her last goal. After having managed to climb the few steps, she stumbled again to Yang's room. The untidy bed, the lamp on the bedside table, the trunk of clothes, the basket of dirty linen, a few books lying around, her old teddy bear who had been sleeping for a long time in a corner, her bag impatiently waiting for the big raid next week. She could perfectly redraw every inch and every line of this place, and add the sleeping figure of a little blonde girl under the blanket.

Raven's hand left her wound, and grabbed the porcelain doll sat on the bedside table, facing the bed. It had lost the brightness of its colors, and the years it had spent being lugged at the bottom of a crate or a bag so as not to be seen were manifested by the crack that decorated its face, the leg that it almost lost several times, and the multiple small scratches on its skin once flawless. But the red dress was brand new, matching the little lace hat. Yang bought them with Ren and Nora, because she understood, or at least imagined, what this simple toy represented.

Raven was not concerned with material things, she would not take them with her to hell, and her memories were much more precious to her. But this doll… she had cried with jealousy when she saw the other little girls have one and not her, then with joy when Qrow had offered her exactly the one she dreamed of, she had kept it out of the eyes of the tribe for all these years, took it with her to Beacon, hugged her to console herself during the hard times. And in the end, this doll was the only person who had always been there for her, who had always listened to her fears and dreams without ever judging her, never having betrayed her secrets, never having turned her back on her, whatever she could have done. She had been the best friend Raven could have dreamed of, and Yang would need such a great listener like this. And after all, who knows? Maybe she could even see Qrow's reaction by recognizing it. No, he had surely forgotten it since the time.

With a hiss of pain, Raven stood up one last time. She didn't even know where she found the strength to, but she was able to open a portal. One step, then another, and she was on the other side. Completely at the end of her capacity, she collapsed full length on the tiling, her sword falling somewhere to her right and the doll to her left. She vaguely felt the ground vibrate as two people came running, their voices seemed distant and muffled, she couldn't even understand what she was being told. She just knew that she had been put on her back and that someone was pressing her wound to prevent the bleeding. If that was enough to save her, she would have done it herself. Perhaps. She was going to die, she knew it, and surprisingly, she accepted it.

Gently, she put her right hand on her brother's to tell him it was useless. He seemed to understand it, for he took her hand in his, while continuing to press desperately on the wound with the other, and Raven felt tears coming to her eyes. Tears of what, she didn't know, of joy at having found her stupid little brother, of sadness to abandon him like that, of rage that he had not been there for her when she needed it, laughing when imagining his face when he realized he had a niece, of gratitude for having promised to help Yang before he even knew her.

__" Years of joy have passed since then.__

__With time I've seen you grow.__

__Watched you play, new each day.__

__I begged the time to slow. "__

Speaking of her, even though she no longer understood what she was saying, Raven could hear her screaming to her left. Slowly she turned her head towards her and forced herself to open her eyes. Her vision was blurred, and with the dim light, she could barely see more than a mass of familiar blond hair. But she didn't need to see to know exactly what her daughter looked like, long golden hair with which she knew every curl by heart, lilac eyes always sparkling with energy, pink cheeks often scuffed or covered with earth after a laborious training, a little nose that she took from her mother, and the magnificent smile of her father.

__" And though I miss the little girl,__

__You've made me awful proud.__

__Funny how our lives change,__

__'Cause you're my hero now. "__

Raven was so proud of her daughter, she was probably the only good thing she had ever done in her life, and she already regretted not seeing her grow more, never having been able to offer her the two tanto she had obtain for her, never being able to hear her boast of having led a raid on her own, never receiving a letter saying how surprised she was to have found Ren and Nora in Beacon, never seeing her show off on the Vytal Tournament podium, never welcoming her back when she'd return to the tribe, never seeing her smile again. Instead, she abandoned her, like she had been abandoned herself so often, and that thought broke her heart.

Qrow's hand tightened on hers, as if to say "Don't worry, I'm watching over her". He might be a complete jerk most of the time, but she still loved him, her stupid little brother.

__" But things in life will rearrange.__

__Friends come and go.__

__Don't ever doubt, don't ever fear,__

__I'm always here and you know. "__

She no longer felt the majority of her body, her injuries didn't even hurt her anymore. So before succumbing for good, she gathered every little ounce of force she still had, and raised her arm to gently put her hand on Yang's cheek. She remembered she wasn't wearing her gloves, she took them off just before the attack, so her hand burned by the Ice and Fire Dust could hardly feel the soft, smooth skin. But it didn't matter, because she knew that Yang was here, right at the end of her hand, she was safe, she had nothing to fear anymore, the madwoman was dead so she would not risk to be prosecuted by Salem because of the Maiden powers, and if Ozpin tried anything, she could feel that Qrow would still defend his niece. That was what a family was made for after all.

__" I will cling, I will clutch,__

__I'll hold onto you, I won't turn away.__

__I won't leave, I won't go,__

__I will stay with you all our days. "__

Raven felt her last strength leave her, she did not feel Qrow's hand tighten on hers, she did not feel that he pressed desperately on her wound, she did not hear him begging her to hang on and not not abandon him again. All she could feel was Yang's warm, trembling little hand touching hers, which was becoming cold like death, and all she could hear before her consciousness died out was the sweetest sound in the world to her ears, a little voice that called her "Mom". This time there were many tears of joy flowing as she closed her eyes. There was still so much she wanted to tell her at that moment. "I am proud of you", "I hope you'll be happy", "I'm sorry to leave you", "Don't be sad, I don't like to see you cry", "Always keep your beautiful smile", "Don't be afraid to look weak", "Never give up", "Don't let anyone control your life", "Do what you want to do", "Make lots of friends and be happy with them", "Tease your uncle for me", "Don't make the same mistakes as me ", " I love you more than everything little bird ", and so many others… But she couldn't, she had neither the strength nor the time, so she did the last thing she still could. She smiled. A smile that said it all. The farewell smile of a mother to her child.

__" I will stay with you all our days. "__

Raven's hand fell.

* * *

An almost unbearable silence reigned in the room. The moonlight coming through the window perfectly illuminated Raven's cold and bloody body, as if to make fun of them.

Qrow didn't move, he couldn't, he didn't even know how he was managing to keep breathing. At one moment he was moaning against the microwave which refused to turn on, and less than half an hour later, his sister was dieing before his eyes, right in front of him, he was still holding her hand, and he didn't want to let it go, as if hanging on to her held a spark of hope in his mind that she would suddenly wake up. Yet he had seen death enough during his life to know that it was not going to happen, that he was just hurting himself by hoping for nothing. But he couldn't do that, he couldn't let go of her hand, he couldn't admit that Raven-…

She was so hurt. In addition to the wound that opened on a gaping hole in the middle of her belly, she had a huge awkwardly cauterized cut that traced a diagonal from her hip to her shoulder, she had taken a serious blow to her head, blood had dripped on her face and all of her clothes, even her hands were in bad shape, her palms were burned and her fingers were sheared, and the sickening sound of broken bones that resonated when she fell made him sick. She had fought enduring such pain? And she had managed to find the strength to open a portal to join them? It sounded like something she'd do…

His eyes fell on his sister's face. Despite the blood flowing down on her pale skin, she didn't seem to be suffering at all. Her eyes were closed, as if she was asleep, tears had trickled down, tracing small furrows in the blood, and most importantly, she was smiling, a sweet and sincere smile. He would like to say that he had never seen her smile like that, but that would be a lie. It happened once, for only a few milliseconds, when he came to see her unexpectedly and reluctantly years ago. That day he understood that she was living with someone, someone to whom she was close enough to be able to make him a portal, someone she trusted enough to let him sleep in the same tent as her, someone she loved enough to make that kind of smile, maybe even someone she left Tai for, who knows? At the time he had thought to a lover. He didn't think to a child.

Reluctantly, he took off his gaze from Raven's peaceful face, and turned to that of… her daughter apparently. It was practically the same face, but younger, with other colors, and with some features borrowed from her father. Raven had a __daughter__. Raven had had and raised a __child__. Raven, so attached to her ideology of survival, had given her __life __to save this child. _Her_ child. It was not possible, there must have been an error somewhere. Raven was not like that, she was not a kind mom. Summer was a kind mom, Raven was a selfish and coward bitch! The leader of a bandit tribe! She had __killed __children! She had more important things to do than raise one! And since when did the tribe accept kids?! It was already rare that they take them under ten years, but an infant?! Did she just show up there with a baby in her arms?! Or did she spend her pregnancy there? Damn, he didn't want to imagine his sister being pregnant. It was all the opposite of the plausible!

Yet it was the truth, Raven was dead, she had a daughter, whom she loved, and she had sacrificed her own life to save her… He was her twin brother, he thought he knew her better than anyone else in this world. He couldn't be more wrong. Because it was her corpse that lay in front of him smiling peacefully, and her daughter who wept silently on the other side. When did he start to believe in the facade that she displayed in front of everyone? When had he stopped seeing the real Raven, the one behind the mask? Why did he realize it only when it was too late to catch up?! When she was lying in a pool of blood after dying for who knows how long! Even smiling as if to make fun of him!

His hand tightened tightly on Raven's. It was cold, limp, no resistance of any kind. Raven would never accept having her hand held like that, she was too proud for that. But in her last moments, she took his hand on her own, and she didn't let it go. Was she afraid? Did she want them to be reconciled? Was she even really aware of her gesture? He would never know…

There were in fact many questions that would remain unanswered. Why was she so suspicious about Ozpin? Why did she suddenly return to the tribe when she was married and happy where she was? Why did she turn her back on them without explanation? Why didn't she try to explain herself, or at least defend herself? Why did she avoid them and reject them for so long?

__-… I… I did exactly what I blame Ozpin for… And I'm losing someone precious to me because of it… Just tell me… If that person ever needs help and I send her to you… Promise me you'll help her. __

Qrow looked up, an expression of horror on his face. He was so stupid. He had most of the answers right in front of him, in the form of a little blond girl, who stared at her mother's corpse with a blank stare, tears silently running down her cheeks.

What was he doing lamenting? He had sworn to Raven to help her if she needed it, and this little girl clearly needed more help than anyone at the moment. This little girl who had just lost her mother, this little girl who was his __niece__. So with superhuman effort, he finally let go of his sister's hand and stood up. His legs were shaking, and only now he noticed that he was crying too. Doesn't matter, he would deal with it. He went around the body, taking great care not to step on the smallest strand of hair, and came next to… his niece? Gently, as for an injured animal, he squats at her height. She was tall, easily eleven, but after a quick calculation, she couldn't be more than ten.

-Eh… kid?

She obviously did not not react. He cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, still no reaction, so he tried to gently pull her back. From the moment she realized it, she leaned forward and grabbed her hand at the top of Raven, trembling. It was going to be complicated to make her go away, but it was bad for her to stay like that. Hell, he didn't even know her name! When she landed there, he just shut up and put his thousand questions aside to bandage her arm before she ran out of blood, and she was so panicked that the only words he understood were "Salem", "Mom" and "save". Then Raven arrived and…

Qrow took a deep breath. Gently, he grabbed her wrist with one hand, and pulled to make her let go. He was careful not to use too much force so as not to appear hostile, she was in shock, and the slightest misstep would be disastrous. Fortunately, she finally let go of the bloody tissue with faster and faster breathing, and let Qrow bring her hand against her as he gently passed his second arm behind her.

-Hey… It's okay kiddo… I'm here…

The rapid breathing turned into a sob, and the little girl burst into tears in her uncle's arms. Qrow restrained himself as much as he could do the same. He had no experience in that, the biggest crisis he had to deal with Ruby was about a bad report card. Two young girls with the same father and only two years apart, but who had evolved in such different worlds. He could still remember his life in the tribe, where he was rejected because of his Semblance, and constantly humiliated by the prowess of his sister. But this girl was not a bad luck charm, and she was Raven's daughter, she had a mother by her side and all the respect that flowed from her position as the leader's daughter, she must have had a good life there. And she had just lost everything in less than a night.

After a long time, the tears finally calm down, and Qrow noticed that she was asleep. He lifted her carefully and carried her to the bed. The room he rented during his last mission had only one bed, but in these conditions, he really didn't give a damn about sleeping on the floor, if he could even sleep. As he sometimes did for Ruby, he pulled the duvet up to the little girl's chin, then hesitated a little before ruffling her hair slightly, which made her wince in her sleep.

-… Mom …?

Qrow froze and clenched his fist. There shouldn't be so much despair in a child's voice.

He turned around, and then faced another problem before he could cry. He was in the closest village to Mistral, and he was pretty sure Raven would want to rest with her family rather than next to a village of strangers. But how could he get her back there? He knew where their camp was, he had managed to always know where they were, in case, but even while flying, it was far too far away. And he couldn't walk around with a corpse in one hand and a child with a missing arm in the other. And he didn't want to just "get rid" of the body. Not because he was afraid of any murder charges, Raven was a bandit after all, there was even a pretty tantalizing reward on her head. But he wouldn't touch it. No one would gain money on the death of his sister! Maybe with a mini airship, it would be doable. Leo should be able to lend him one, he still owed him a favor since the time he was sick and Qrow volunteered to replace him as a teacher for the day. But he had to tell Leo about it, tell him what happened. And if he had to get the news out right now, then others deserved to know first.

Qrow pulled out his Scroll and launched the call, he glanced at Raven's smiling face, then at the little girl who was sleeping crying in the bed. Should he talk about her too? He should, she was also Tai's daughter after all, he deserved to know. However Raven had kept the secret even before her birth, even if it meant putting her entire team on her back, she actually surely left precisely to keep the existence of her child a secret. Should he really betray this secret? A secret that Raven had sacrificed the wedding she dreamed of to keep?

-Mmmh… Qrow?

-H-Hey Oz…

Qrow swallows. His throat was knotted, and he felt that he could crack and burst into tears at any time. Even Ozpin seemed to have already noticed that something was wrong, not just his voice.

-Qrow, what's going on? We're in the middle of the night, and you usually never call. Is it about your mission?

-No… Well not directly but… It's…

He didn't know what to do, the words refused to come out and he felt the rage rising. The rage to have been able to do nothing to save her, the rage to see her niece suffer, the rage that she managed to die happy when they had all hated her for more than ten years, the rage that she chose him, the worst brother in the world, to take care of her daughter, the rage of not having been able to see the real Raven in time.

-Qrow, what's going on? I can hear you breathing from here.

He had already forgotten that Oz was on the line. It was cowardly of him, but he knew he would never have the strength to tell Tai and Summer the news. Not after having witnessed her death, not after having her daughter in his arms, not until he talked about it with her. Maybe she knew why Raven kept her a secret after all, since it seemed like she knew her mother better than he knew his sister.

But first of all, you had to tell Ozpin. Words were hard to find. Actually no, they were very simple, "Raven is dead", three words, but he couldn't say it, he didn't want to admit it out loud. But he had no choice, he should do it sooner or later, and if no one could see him collapsing at that moment, it was for the best.

Trying to calm his breath, Qrow took a deep breath and turned to the window so as not to be distracted by the horrible scene that would haunt his nightmares for years to come. At the other end, Ozpin had felt his discomfort, and was patiently waiting for him to calm down enough to speak.

-It's…

-I'm listening.

-It's Raven, she-…

His voice gave way, and he preferred to keep quiet rather than crack during the sentence. So soon after the event, the mere fact of saying her name made him feel like a nail planted in son heart.

He did not have to add anything, however.

-Is she…?

With his thousands of years of existence and fighting against an evil force, Ozpin knew how to recognize this kind of sad news in the tone of the voice, and if he needed any confirmation, Qrow's silence made perfectly the case.

-Oh no… I… I'm sorry…

-…

-What happened …?

-… I don't know… She just came out of a portal… injured and…

This time Qrow couldn't hold back his tears, and let out a sob. He tried to muffle the noise with his hand, but when faced with someone who had encountered this situation as often as Ozpin, it was a waste of time.

-Did you tell Summer and Tai?

-No …

-Do you want me to tell them for you?

-Yeah…

-I understand. I'll go see them tomorrow morning, don't worry.

The advantage of having so much experience was that the old man knew how to handle this kind of situation perfectly, find the right words, and Qrow was grateful. Knowing that someone understood him somewhat eased his pain, for the moment.

-… Do you think you could ask Leo to leave me a mini-airship for a few days? I think R-… I think she would prefer to be with her people… whatever happened to them…

-I call him immediately. Do you need anything else?

Qrow's gaze fell on the bed, or rather, the little girl sleeping in it. She looked so much like Raven, but with Tai's colors. And she looked so fragile in this state. He couldn't let her down her like that, he promised.

-Some time… You know, to figure things out…

-Of course, take as long as you need.

-Thanks Oz…

-It's normal. Take good care of yourself, my friend. And sorry again.

-Yeah…

Qrow closed his Scroll and put it back in his pocket, before sliding miserably down the wall and thrust his head into his arms. Now he could cry for good.

* * *

****Yes, I dared.****

****Yes, it was planned from the start.****

****Yes, everything in this chapter was planned since before I even started writing this fic.****

****Yes, all of the previous chapters were written knowing full well that it would happen.****

****Yes, you can hate me.****

****.****

****.****

****.****

****And if not… * cough * for all those who thought that Raven was a little too sweet, just know that when I wrote, I already knew that she was not going to be present in ********the ********story for ********too******** long, the important thing for me was not so much her character or her development, ********but more******** the influence she had on Yang. It is Yang's story after all.****

****I did everything I could so that you couldn't really see it coming before it happened, but if you read it from the beginning knowing it, you will see some details that allude to it, like the doll ********having******** the dead mother hairstyle.****

****The doll, let's talk about it, I told you to ********never******** forget it! I'm currently looking for a name for ********it********, if you have any ideas.****

****And finally, just consider that in my fic, some events ****_**_must _**_****happen. In the anime, Summer dies and Raven lives, here Raven dies, so Summer lives, it's that simple.****

****So… see you next week, if you haven't killed me by then n_n '****


	7. Chap 7 : Alone together

****Hi everyone !****

****Thanks a lot for your reviews for the last chapter, and sorry for making you cry n_n'****

****I know you're all sad about Raven's death, I was sad when I wrote it too, but it has always supposed to be the real beginning of Yang story, t********his is what marks the transition from one part to another in fact, part I tells Yang's ********childhood ********in the tribe and with her mother, and part II tells what happens to her after, between that and her entry into Beacon.****

****On this subject, I basically had the plan to put two versions of chapter 8, which would lead to two different versions of the story from there, except that I'm much more inspired for one than for the other so for now I continue the one I started and I will see if I have enough inspiration and motivation for the second.****

****Well, I will not hold you any longer, I will let you enjoy this chapter, which I had a lot of trouble writing but of which in the end I'm proud.****

* * *

.

The sun had just risen, the birds were singing. A few warm rays made their way through the curtains of the room, and came to tickle the cheeks of the little girl who was sleeping in her bed. She turned muttering, not wanting to be woken up now, but finally woke up because the light prevented her from going back to sleep. As she rubbed her eyes with a yawn, a small detail came back to her mind.

-It's my birthday!

Ruby stood up, flipping her blanket and ran to her parents' room. She opened the door in a loud crash and pulled the heavy duvet down.

-Mom! Dad! It's my birthday! Huh…?

The bed was empty. However none of them was supposed to work today, they took their day specially to spend it with her. Oh! Maybe they were waiting for her downstairs with a big surprise breakfast! Without wasting time, the little girl, now eight, rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs. She was a year older, and there were only four years left before she could enter Signal Academy! She was so excited! She could finally learn to fight the Grimm, just like her mom! She could also make her own weapon! And maybe everyone would finally stop treating her like a baby! She could go to school by herself, she was already a big girl! Oh, she couldn't wait another four years!

When she arrived in the living room, she saw her parents sitting on the sofa, and ran to them, full of energy and with a huge smile on her face.

-It's my birthday!

There was a heavy silence in the room, and only then Ruby noticed that there was a third person, but as the chair was turned back to her, she could only see his short gray hair. Suddenly, her father got up and left the house, slamming the door without even looking at her. The little girl then gave a questioning look to her mother, who got up and came to squat in front of her. Wait, she was crying? Why was she crying? She was an adult, adults never cried.

-Mom, what's happening?

-Nothing sweetheart, it's just...

Summer was silent, not finding her words, and the gray haired man stood up. He looked at Ruby for a few seconds with a strange look, then stepped forward and leaned towards her, smiling kindly.

-Everything is okay young girl, your parents just received very bad news.

-Bad news? Like what?

-Like-…

-Ozpin, she is too young to hear that!

-Hear what? What's going on mom?

Summer pursed her lips, then looked up, forcing a smile.

-Nothing serious, sweetheart, just… adults problems, don't worry. How about we make you a big birthday breakfast now?

-Okay.

Ruby was pretty sure things were more serious than she was told, but she didn't ask more questions, her mother didn't seem to want to talk about it now. And apparently, even a year older, she was still too young to know about adults things.

* * *

The sun had just risen, the birds were singing. A few warm rays made their way through the curtains of the room, and came to tickle the cheeks of the little girl who was sleeping in her bed. She turned muttering, not wanting to be woken up now, but finally woke up because the light prevented her from going back to sleep. As she rubbed her eyes with a yawn, a small detail came back to her mind.

Slowly, her left hand rested on her right shoulder, then descended along her arm, until it touched bandages, then void.

-AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

The shrill cry woke Qrow with a start, so that he fell from his chair, before rushing to the bed and hugging the little girl to try to calm her down. Of course, she struggled with all her might, but hurt and exhausted as she was, she couldn't do a lot but scream.

-Let go of me! What's happening?! Where're we?! Where's my mother?!

Qrow did not respond and hugged her tighter until she stopped fighting. He also said nothing when she buried her head in his chest to cry, or when she clung so tightly to his clothes that she almost tore them apart. He simply hugged her, stroking her back.

When she finally stopped crying, almost two hours had passed. She pulled away slowly and Qrow let her go, without having said a word yet.

-Where is my mother…?

He had feared that. Still silent, Qrow stood up and motioned for the little girl to follow her. He walked to the sofa at the other end of the room, on which a white sheet covered something that was shaped like a body.

Qrow spent the night curled up against the wall, without being able to sleep, then had been shaken by a phone call from Leo, who offered his condolences and assured him that he would lend him a way to take his sister's body to the location of her tribe. Everyone was united in the Ozpin's circle. After the call, Qrow finally noticed that he had a dead body in the middle of the room, and that, even worse, the little girl could wake up and see it any time. Letting her find the horrible scene exactly like she left it might not do her much good, but taking her mother's body away from her without her being able to say goodbye either.

So he swallowed his sorrow and regret, and took care of Raven.

Her clothes were lost because of the blood, but he knew she wouldn't care. He still removed the piece of red cloth he had torn from the bottom of his own cape to try to stop the bleeding, in vain. He then put off her Dust blades scabbard, which she still had on her hip, and replaced her katana inside. Not knowing what to do with the weapon, he left it against the wall until he finished what he had to do. Remembering that she had an object in each hand when she arrived, one of them being her sword, he looked around where the second had gone. Then his gaze fell on the doll which had almost rolled up under the sofa. A myriad of memories came back to him, and he couldn't help but falling on his knees to cry again.

He remembered this doll. It was old and damaged, it had lost its curls, and its clothes had changed, but how could he ever forget Raven's face when he put the toy in her hands, the tears of joy that flowed of her eyes. After a few weeks, he didn't see it anymore, he thought that she had moved on, that now that she could have everything she wanted during raids, she no longer cared about a toy for kids, all in frills and lace.

He carefully picked up the doll. Its face was marked with a large oblique crack, and another smaller one that ran from its chin to the side of its nose. It crumbled a little on the lips, it must have been recent, surely from its fall the day before. Despite this, its hair was perfectly untangled, tied with a thin white ribbon in a loose ponytail that rested on its shoulder. And her brand new red dress had been put on with care, each knot and each lace correctly positioned, as well as its little hat. There was not the slightest stain, not the slightest trace of neglect. Raven had kept this doll, she had always taken good care of it, and she even considered it precious enough in her eyes to take it with her in her death. Behind the cold mask, the strong and merciless warrior facade that she showed to all, she had always cherished the toy that her little brother once offered her, at a time when they were closer than they had never been, even though he hated her for a decade now. And he only learned about it after her death.

Her daughter, her doll… How many more things was he going to discover that were going to drive nails into his heart?

Qrow wiped his eyes for the umpteenth time and put the doll on the bedside table, before continuing what he was doing, moving like a zombi. Between lack of sleep and emotional fatigue, hard to do better, especially since the hardest was yet to come.

Hands trembling, he put an arm under Raven's shoulders, and another under her knees. Her body was heavy and cold, and her still smiling face continued to taunt him, he could almost hear her say "I didn't need you to be happy". And she would be right, he hadn't been there for her even once in the past ten years, he had turned his back on her, he had been angry at her, and she still died with a smile, holding his hand.

He laid her gently on the sofa, even bothering to put a pillow under her head, despite the uselessness of the gesture. He then took her hands to put them on her belly, and another detail reached him. She was still wearing her wedding ring. He immediately looked away, not even wanting to imagine what it could mean to her. He was already suffering enough like that.

As he was about to lay the sheet, his limbs stopped obeying him. There he was, a white sheet in his hands, standing in front of the sofa on which she was resting. It looked like she was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of happy memories, like if she didn't suffer from a slow and painful death, like if she wasn't worried about what would happen to her daughter with him, like if she hadn't hammered the nails she had planted in his heart since the second she had passed through that portal a few hours ago.

He didn't want to say goodbye to her, he couldn't, it was too much to take in at once, it was above his strength, he would have been unable to even let go of her hand if he didn't have had to take care of the girl. This little girl who just lost her mother, who had only him, whom he promised to protect.

He couldn't let her down. So he closed his eyes, and placed the snow-white sheet over Raven's lifeless body.

The little girl lifted the sheet, and Qrow looked away. If he was already devastated by the sudden death of his sister, he didn't even want to imagine what a ten-year-old child could feel at the death of her mother. He heard her fall to her knees and start sobbing again. He wanted to help her, but what could he do? Stay close to her? Give her some space? He didn't even know her name… But he had to do something, Raven had chosen __him __to take care of her daughter, him over Tai and Summer, him who was one of the most faithful supporters of Ozpin, him who had turned his back on her twice already, him who had not known how to be the brother she needed.

He had to act, but he had no idea what to do, he couldn't handle it alone. But who could he ask for help? He had already more or less decided not to tell Oz before talking to the kid about it. Leo was a good colleague, sure, but they weren't close enough for Qrow to tell him a secret that Raven had kept until her death. And he couldn't decently announce it to Tai and Summer by phone, he wasn't even sure if he could face them after that.

As he thought about his options, a detail got him out of his mind. The little girl was still on her knees in front of the sofa, her fist clenched on her thigh, trembling with all her being, but she didn't make the slightest noise, not the slightest sob.

-Hey kiddo, you're okay?

No answer. Gently, he approached and put a hand on her shoulder.

-Hey?

-Let go of me.

-Wha-…

-I SAID LET GO!

The girl turned suddenly, waving her arm, or at least what was left of it, to dislodge his hand, and Qrow took a step back, not so much from the fury in his niece's voice, but rather because of her eyes. Not only had they gone from a sad purple to a red burning with rage, but in addition, red flames escaped on the sides, and he had unfortunately seen that enough times during his missions for Ozpin to know what it meant.

__-Oh shit…__

Before his stunned look, the little girl frowned, then her eyes widened and she looked at her remaining hand. After a few seconds, a small flame lit in the air a few inches from her palm, confirming Qrow's suspicions. Both remained motionless for almost a full minute, gazing as hypnotized at the fluid and random movements of the small magic fire. The little girl suddenly closed her fist and pressed it aginst her chest, taking deep breaths. She refrained from crying, something that Qrow had been completely unable to do for the past few hours. With a sigh, he stepped back to the bed and sat there, sticking his head in his hands.

As if the problems were not numerous enough, the girl _had_ to be a Maiden, obviously… The only Maiden whose position was unknown was the Spring Maiden, and if she had been in Raven's tribe for all this time, they could have been looking for her for a long time... It was surely why Salem attacked them, she found it out before them. And considering the reaction of the kid, she must have obtained the powers during the attack, after the death of the previous one. She was the chief's daughter, it would not be surprising if she was in her last thoughts.

This little girl making it to him alive was a fucking miracle...

And now he had a ten year old kid, with one arm missing, raised in a tribe of bandits, who just lost her mother, and who possessed the Spring Maiden powers. And he couldn't tell anyone about it yet, not even the kid's own father. Will that be all or he should expect for more? At this level, he almost expected Salem to knock on his door to sell calendars...

Speaking of Salem, the girl had said her name several times after passing the portal, and she clearly knew what powers she had inherited. So she knew everything. It was always that less to explain.

After several more minutes of heavy silence, the little girl got up and put the sheet over Raven's face, with much less hesitation than he had, and went to take the doll placed by the bed, then held it against her as she curled up against the wall, exactly where he had spent the night.

Qrow watched her sadly. He wanted to do something, at least __say __something, but the words were stuck in his throat. What exactly was he supposed to tell her? That he was sorry for her mother's death? That he would have to tell Ozpin that she was the Spring Maiden? That she had a father who didn't even know she existed? Did she even know who her father was? Had she heard about team STRQ? If Raven told her about Salem, she must have told her about Tai. And she must have heard of "Qrow Branwen" in the tribe, not in good, but still.

Finally, he decided there was nothing good to say at the moment, so he fell silent. It was the end of the morning, none of them had eaten today, and even if he had absolutely no appetite and knew that she didn't either, it was the only option he had in mind at that moment. Well, the only option other than "stay planted there until the end of the day". So he got up and turned to the little girl, who hadn't moved an iota.

-I... I'm going to get us some food …

Of course, she ignored him, but he knew she heard. Since the microwave didn't seem to be working yesterday, Qrow went out to pick up something from the local grocery store. The fresh outside air was smacking his face, but he didn't care. On the way back, he passed a bar. The girl needed to eat, but he felt he would go for a walk later in the evening, just to get his mind off things. He wasn't the type to drink, but who knows?

When he returned, she still hadn't moved, and Qrow thought for a moment that she was asleep. Then she looked up and gave him the darkest look he had ever seen. Great start.

He was going to offer her a sandwich, even if he knew he would be ignored, but his Scroll rang before he could. The girl did not take her eyes off him as he took it out of his pocket, so that he hesitated to answer. But it was Leo at the other end, surely about the means of transport. Surely she wouldn't say no to have her mother buried near their last camp.

So without looking away from her purple eyes that were screaming "traitor", Qrow picked up.

-Hello? ... No no, I'm ... not okay but better than this morning anyway. ... Yeah, that's fine with me. … Tomorrow morning, okay. … Yeah, and thanks again…

Qrow hung up. The little girl had not stopped glaring at him during the whole conversation. It was hard to believe he was intimidated by a ten year old child, but he was. He felt like she was blaming him for what happened to Raven, for not saving her, for abandoning her. She was not wrong. But now that they were stuck together for a while, he should at least explain the situation to her. So he took a deep breath, and forced himself to speak, stuttering more than ever before.

-I ... I managed to get Rav-… my sister… Well, get her body be brought back to your camp… You're okay with that?

She didn't answer, but Qrow didn't expect her to, and as long as she didn't disagree, it was fine with him, because he was pretty sure that when she would, she would let him know, and not necessarily the calml way.

A heavy silence returned to the room. It was unbearable. So Qrow continued talking about the first thing that came to his mind.

-And ... Has she ever told you about your father? He's a good friend of mine, you know? I can present him to you if you want. I'm sure he will love you.

The converse, however, was more than doubtful. The little girl still didn't answer, but her brow furrowed as she looked away in disgust. So she also hated Tai. Perfect. Really perfect!

Silence returned. No, no silence, it was too unbearable. Find something. Now.

-I-I got us food!

Qrow turned and took out two triangular sandwiches from a plastic bag. The little girl insisted on not answering, but he didn't care and put the food next to her on a plate, before going to eat his own part in the kitchen to give her some space. He was absolutely not hungry, and had to force himself to swallow every bite. He sometimes felt tears rising as he chewed, but he did his best to think about something other than Raven's body which lay in the other room. A body he had had in his arms just a few hours ago. He still remembered the moment when he felt her hand relax, the precise moment when life left her body.

Qrow restrained himself just in time from vomiting the quarter sandwich he just forced himself to eat. He couldn't get those images out of his head, he could put them in the background when he was doing something else, but as soon as he stopped, as soon as silence returned… The sandwich in his hands seemed to suddenly be the most disgusting thing in the world, and he threw it without regret in the trash. And silence returned. Always this silence. This silence that would drive him crazy!

-AAAARG!

His fist crashed so hard on the table that it cracked. His cry and the sound of wood filled the room for a few moments, before silence returned. It was too much. Qrow stood up and left the apartment, furious, slamming the door behind him. The girl could manage for now, he needed a drink.

* * *

Yang watched the man walk out again. Qrow Branwen. She didn't know what to think of him. Until then, she had never been interested in his existence, he may have been her mother's brother, but it was the only thing that linked them. He was a traitor of the tribe, he had abandoned them to become a Huntsman, he worked for Ozpin, he was a pawn blinded by beautiful words. And above all, he made her cry. He made Raven cry. And just for that, Yang wanted to hate him. But… When she died, he too cried, he tried to save her, he took care of her body while waiting to bury her, and he even made sure to do it where she'd want it. So Yang couldn't _only_ hate him.

But it was stronger than her. Late regrets were not going to erase all the tears that Raven had shed because of him, because of __them__ .

Yang's eyes fell on the figure under the white sheet.

__\- "The weak die, the strong live. "__

Yang's fist tightened on her doll. That was the biggest lie she had ever heard. If that were true, her mother would still be alive, and she would not die until age began to hinder her abilities. Raven Branwen was strong, stronger than everyone, stronger than the Huntsmen, stronger than a madwoman with pink hair, she was the leader of the tribe, she was the Spring Maiden, she was her __mother__ , she was strong, and she promised Yang that she would always be by her side!

-THEN WHY ARE YOU DEAD?!

In an excess of rage, Yang suddenly stood up and carried the doll over her head with the firm intention of smashing it on the ground. What was Raven thinking?! That an old falling apart toy would be enough to replace her?! Did she really think that was all she meant for her daughter?! If it was just to bring her that, she could have just stayed at the camp to die! Yang didn't care about this doll and its frilly dress! She didn't want it! She just wanted her mother…

There was a slight noise in the room when Yang fell to her knees.

She couldn't destroy something her mother cared about so much. They never talked about it, but Yang wasn't stupid, she had understood that this doll was important to Raven, if only by seeing how old and yet well maintained it was, with its clothes mended and its hair perfectly disentangled. She couldn't destroy it. It was all she let, the only thing she left her…

The sun was setting. How long had she stayed like that, kneeling on the floor with her doll? With a great effort, Yang managed to hoist herself up on the bed where she had slept the day before. Qrow wouldn't say anything, he was a former member of the tribe, he knew how it worked, "first come, first served". Sleep came surprisingly quickly. Yet she was not tired, she had done nothing all day except crying. But as her eyes closed, all the tears she had refused to shed in front of someone else started to flow. Only her doll saw her cry that night.

* * *

-Hey… kiddo?

Yang slowly turned her head towards her uncle, with a look indicating that he shouldn't have bothered her for nothing. She was not in the mood.

-I… Mmmh… We'll land in a few minutes.

And he left without waiting for an answer, having understood that she would never give him one. She hadn't spoken to him even once, she still wasn't sure whether she hated him or not, and she didn't want to talk anyway. In fact, she didn't want to do anything. She glanced out the window of the mini airship. It might be the first time she took one, but it was nothing compared to the sensation of flying, and she had already been much higher than that. Her eyes fell on what was left of her arm. Could she still fly in this state? If she transformed, would she also have only one wing? Did she really lose __everything__?

The airship descended and landed in a small clearing, a few minutes' walk from their last camp. As they walked through the woods, Qrow carrying Raven's body in his arms, Yang felt her heart speed up. She still remembered the cries of pain of the members of her tribe as they were massacred by the countless number of Grimm, the light and the hellish heat of the flames which devoured the tents and all that was inside, the smell of blood that seemed so different from what she smelled during raids, the red that covered the ground on which she had taken her first steps, the pillars she liked to climb crushing the tents and the people who slept peacefully inside without suspecting the death that awaited them, and their blood spilling, red, red everywhere, the ground, the tents, the flames, the dress of Salem's minion, her own blood flowing from her torn arm, the clothes of her mother where she had been injured to protect her, and her eyes when she was ready to sacrifice her life to save her.

__-I am proud of you.__

Yang suddenly opened her eyes. Qrow's face was right in front of her, and his eyes sparkled with concern as he held her shoulders tightly. She looked around and saw that they were still in the forest, and that she was on her knees on the floor, hugging her doll against her, breathing heavily.

-Calm down kiddo, it's okay. It's over now.

Yang forced herself to take a few deep breaths before regaining her composure. She shouldn't panic like that, especially in front of someone she barely knew. She had to stay strong, never show her weaknesses to others. Just like Raven.

She got up and walked on as if nothing just happened. She knew Qrow was looking at her, she could feel his gaze behind her, but she ignored him the best she could. Inwardly, she wanted to scream, cry, and run away from here. So she wiped her eyes, and kept her face as neutral as possible, walking briskly, back straight, head held high. She was no longer a child, she was a warrior, the heiress of the tribe, the daughter of Raven Branwen, and now the Spring Maiden. She survived, she must be proud of it, show that she was strong.

__-The tribe did not deserve to die.__

Yang closed her eyes to remove these absurd thoughts from her head. The weak die, the strong live. That was what she learned. The weak die, the strong live. The weak die, the strong live!

Suddenly her foot hit something.

* * *

Qrow stopped a few yards from his niece, she needed some space right now. And he had to admit that what he had in front of him also made him feel sick. He may have left without regrets, treated them as thieves and killers, and blamed a lot Raven to come back there, but he had spent a large part of his life here, with these people. Many should have left and others replaced them, yet he didn't feel like if he knew absolutely no one. In fact, it was almost as if he was just coming back home, as if he was coming back to his old parents after leaving home a long time ago. He just didn't want to come across such a scene when he got there.

The majority of the logs and tents had burned, everything had been trampled on by heavy gauge Grimm, and charred corpses covered the ground. Villages destroyed by the Grimm were deserted and devastated, but the buildings, even if well damaged, were still standing, recalling that there were once people who lived there. Here, everything was made of wood and fabric, only the tools and some of the tent pillars were made of metal, and the fire had destroyed almost everything.

The little girl stepped over the corpse at her feet and began to move forward, looking straight ahead, like if walking among the bodies of people she knew made her neither hot nor cold. But Qrow wasn't blind, he could see her fist clenching so hard that only her Aura prevented her from piercing her palm with her nails, he saw her shoulders lift regularly due to her deep breaths, and he saw her steps slow down slightly each time she unfortunately looked in the direction of a corpse, before turning her head sharply and accelerating to try to ignore it.

Qrow dared to look around as he stepped forward, and his heart sank. He didn't recognize a single face, and not just because they were mostly half charred. He didn't know them, none of them were familiar to him, he might have been here at home one day, but that was no longer the case, he left and the tribe continued its life without him, like Raven. He no longer knew the tribe in which he had grown up, just as he no longer knew the sister whom he had lived with. He turned his back on everyone he knew to follow Ozpin in his fight against Salem alongside Tai and Summer, only people he had only known for a little over a year at the time.

He was starting to understand why Raven blamed him so much…

As they reached the site of the main tent, the girl stopped dead. Like the rest, the fabric covering the tent had turned into ashes, and the wooden platform on which everything had been assembled had collapsed, half burned. It looked like a fireball had crashed on it. The little girl had always lived in there, she might even be born there. It must be horrible for her to see her only home reduced to ashes with everything she knew. Qrow was an adult and he only lost his sister. He didn't even want to imagine what a ten year old child who had just lost everything, seen her family being massacred, seen her mother sacrificing to save her, and who returned to the desolate place barely two days later, only to bury her mother, could feel.

Qrow quickly looked around, and saw a large rock on his left, on the other side of where the ramparts were supposed to stand.

-Hey, kiddo?

She jumped before turning. Her eyes were shining because of the tears she was holding back. Qrow nodded toward the rock and she nodded too. She helped him dig, even with one arm, while he used Harbinger as a shovel. None of them spoke, but the noise they made as they moved the earth was enough to keep Qrow from getting angry again. Once the hole was deep enough, he picked up Raven's body, hitherto leaning against a tree, and placed her in it.

He stayed bent over her for a long time, only the sound of the wind was heard. She seemed so peaceful, lying with her hands on her stomach, hiding her wound, the blood on her face had been cleaned, her skin was paler than ever before, contrasting with her deep black hair, which some wicks passed over her shoulders, her eyes were closed, and she was still smiling. It looked like she was sleeping. Surely she was better where she was now. Where she no longer had to suffer, where nobody hated her for simply wanting to protect her child, where she had found her whole tribe, those who had never turned their backs on her, regardless of her decisions, her family, her __real__ family… Not like him…

Tears flowed again. He didn't want to say goodbye to her, he didn't want to say it was over, that he would never see her again, that he could never have fun making her in angry anymore, that he would never receive her angry glances with a hint of amusement anymore, that they would never laugh together anymore, that she would simply no longer be there. As it had already been for ten years… He lost her ten years before, but he always had a chance to change everything, to learn the truth about her daughter, to listen to what she had to say rather than stop at the fact that she hated Ozpin for no apparent reason, to be at her side when she needed him more than ever, to find his sister, the Raven he was the only one to know. But he had ignored this chance, and now it was too late.

__-I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… __

With a lifeless look and tears silently running down his cheeks, Qrow filled the hole.

* * *

-Kiddo…?

Yang looked up from her lap and looked behind her. It was almost night, she had spent the whole day sitting in front of her mother's grave. The day before too. And the one before, when they buried her. She didn't say a word, and Qrow didn't try to force her, he didn't force her to eat or go to bed either. He kept his distance from her and it was very good, she didn't want him to harass her to try to make her smile or something.

-We leave tomorrow morning, so if there're things you want to bring…

Yang nodded and turned her back on him again. She was like her mother, not very attached to equipment.

__-I'm not as attached to my weapon as others may be, but I still trust it to protect you like if I were there. __

So she had kept her weapon. It was a right-handed weapon and she only had her left arm left, but she didn't care, she kept the large scabbard attached to her waist, and her doll in her hand. There was, to her knowledge, no other items that Raven was particularly attached to, but she would still go and check, her belongings were kept in a trunk originally used to transport Dust, they should be intact.

With some lethargy in her movements, Yang stood up and walked to the remains of her home. It didn't even hurt anymore to look at the disaster that had become of the place where she had grown up, as if her mind was numb and no longer felt the pain, or anything else. Even her missing arm left her indifferent. She rummaged around a bit, then pulled the trunk out of the rubble. Inside, her hand quickly found the flashlight, and she placed it under her right armpit to hold it.

She had looked in this trunk many times before, she knew what was in it. Survival gear didn't matter right now, clothes were the last thing to worry about, jewelry to. Her hand grabbed the photo of team STRQ, whose name was written on the back. She remembered the first time she saw it, she was six when her mother finally told her about her father and why she left. Ozpin. And Summer. Yang hated them both. Without them, Raven would never have had to leave and she wouldn't have been crying so often, alone out of sight. But if it was for staying close to people like that, to an old senile man who saw people as sacrificial pawns, to a husband who turned to another the second she left, and a so-called friend who stole everything from her and passed for a saint, she was right to leave.

And then there was Qrow. He had abandoned her too, he had even abandoned the tribe, but since she had met him a few days before, Yang had seen him display only sadness and regrets, and he had done a lot for her after Raven's death, so… Let's just say that her opinion on him had become neutral, he remained a complete stranger after all.

Yang put the photo in her pocket and continued to search with as much motivation as if she was taken to the slaughterhouse. She never searched that deep, usually her mother just asked her to bring her something. Her hand brushed against an all-too-familiar piece of red cloth, and she felt her heart squeeze when she saw the red scarf Raven always had in her hair. It smelled like mint tea, just like she did.

At the bottom of the trunk were boxes, more or less big. Yang picked out a random box, which looked like a shoe box. It contained a small amount of money, and Yang could have sworn that her mother had brought back much more than that in the past few months, had she spent everything recently? It didn't matter anymore. The next box was the size of her hand, and contained an extinct Scroll. The same Scroll she had used to almost call her ex-husband two years ago, the first and last time they had argued. Not something she liked to remember. The last box was a little larger than the previous one, and contained…

Yang dropped the box, and the photos spilled on the floor.

__-Can you bring me a camera from the next raid? I want to have a photo of just the two of us. __

She had obtained the camera in her hands, she had taken pictures, but she forgot them, too absorbed by her role in the tribe. But Raven had kept and developed them. There were photos of everyone, even of some who were dead long ago before the attack. Vernal, Ramy, even Shay, all were there, all those who were no longer there. And above all, there were photos of Raven. Not many, maybe three or four at most, but she was on them, there was her face, her red eyes, her long curly black hair, her reassuring smile, her pale skin, too pale, stained with blood that flowed from her forehead as life left her…

-Hey!

Yang opened her eyes. She hadn't moved, she was still sitting on the ground, near the rubble of her tent, her remaining hand held a handful of hair firmly on the side of her head and was pulling on it with all her might, while her breathing was strong and fast, and her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She looked ahead, Qrow was here again, still holding her by the shoulders. Her gaze went down, and she saw the photo box next to him closed. All the photos had been put inside, she could no longer see them. Her breathing started to calm down.

-Okay… Everything's fine, it was just a picture, it's over.

He pulled her gently against him, and Yang let him. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she unconsciously clung to her uncle's shirt. She felt he stroked her hair, as Raven often did. The familiar feeling made her calm down slowly, until she fell asleep.

* * *

When the girl finally fell asleep in his arms, Qrow took the box next to him and carried the girl to the airship. He suspected she might badly react to her mother's things, but he didn't imagine that she would have a crisis like this, he had to shake her and call her for five full minutes before she finally reacted. He didn't know how long it would take for her to recover, but he couldn't let her down. Even if she hated him, even if she refused to talk to him, even if she didn't even give him a chance, he didn't care. It was exactly what he had done to Raven, and she had surely suffered much more than he was suffering now, yet she had trusted him to watch over her most precious treasure. So if he had to spend whole hours comforting a kid whose he didn't even know the name every single time she started to panic, he would.

Qrow gently laid the little girl on the airship seats and folded a blanket over her. She was still crying. With a sigh, he sat down on the other side of their makeshift camp and opened the photo box. He hadn't had time to really look at them, he had vaguely seen that there were some of Raven and that had been enough for him to understand the problem, he had then packed everything urgently to be able to calm the girl.

He passed most of the pictures quickly, he didn't know anyone, and if there weren't logs or tents in the background, he could never have guessed that they were bandits. People seemed so… normal. They were walking calmly, chatting with each other, getting mad at the photographer when she took their photo by surprise… He had forgotten how the atmosphere of the camp was similar to an ordinary village, the people who lived there were no meaner than others, they didn't have a particularly bad temper, they generally got along well with each other, laughed together… He had forgotten all that.

A photo caught his eye, and a small smirk formed on his lips. Ramy, that rusty old ram who always left him a meal aside so that he could pick it up after everyone and not cause disasters. … Qrow had forgotten him too… Yet he had been one of the few people who did not despise him, who did not move away from him because of his Semblance, he had been like a grandfather to them when they arrived. And given the friendly gesture he made to the little girl while she was taking the photo, he must have been for her too.

The next shot made his heart miss a beat. It was Raven, sitting at the coffee table in her tent, a map in front of her, a pen in her right hand, her head resting in her left hand, her eyes were closed, and a trickle of drool flowed from the corner of her ajar mouth. In another time, Qrow would have burst out laughting, the great Raven Branwen who drools while sleeping seated in front of her work, he could have blackmailed her for having her desserts for years. Yet now he felt his heart tighten. In the past, he had been the only one who could even approach her while she slept without risking being stabbed by instinct. Today, she wouldn't even take the risk of being disarmed near him. It had not been less than a week since he lost his sister, it's been over ten years…

He no longer knew Raven, he no longer knew the tribe, he could draw a precise line between his life with them and his life without them, and from the moment he crossed that line, he ceased to see all that was on the other side. Raven had crossed that line with him, but she never lost sight of what she had left behind. She could call the tribe her home, her family. He couldn't.

He moved on to Raven's second photo. This time she was awake, but not for a long time. She was still seated, she still had her drool at the corner of her mouth, the pen had fallen from her hand, and she was looking behind the camera with a half-angry, half-amused look. It must have been the click of the camera that woke her up. Qrow could easily imagine the kid laughing on the other side, and he was pretty sure if anyone else had done this, Raven would have sent him to the other end of Remnant with a kick in his butt.

The third photo of her… was both the kindest and the saddest. Still in the same place, Raven held the camera high with one hand and her daughter with the other, her head slightly tilted on her, with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen from her. And he knew why. The little girl, her daughter, wrapped her arms around her and put her head on her shoulder, showing a big smile with two front teeth missing. She didn't seem to be more than six or seven years old…

Again, Qrow remembered that it was a whole chapter in his sister's life that he was unaware of, ten out of thirty-two years, almost a third of her existence, and certainly the most important to her.

It was still a long night waiting for him.

* * *

__The bar was full that night. The noise of chairs, glasses and chatter filled the air as much as the smell of alcohol. Qrow walked to a small table in the corner, where someone was already waiting for him.__

__-Qrow.__

__-Raven.__

__Qrow sat down opposite her, glass in hand. He couldn't even say how long he hadn't seen her. She was waiting for him, elbows on the table and her chin behind her hands, as if she was going to interrogate him.__

__-You wanted to talk to me?__

__-I just want you to explain something to me.__

__He didn't like the smirk she had, it didn't mean anything good.__

__-What thing ?__

__Raven leaned forward a little more on the table, frowning, her piercing gaze scanning every corner of his soul. Qrow could feel the temperature in the room increasing, and sweat beading on his forehead. It was hot, too hot, abnormally hot. Raven's red eyes looked brighter than usual, they were less dull, reflecting the hellish flames that surrounded them, as blood began to trickle from her forehead.__

__-Why did you let me die?__

* * *

Qrow woke up with a start, suppressing a cry. It took him a moment to calm his breath and remember where he was. With a sigh, he let his head fall against the back of the seat on which he had slept. He couldn't even complain, he knew that this day would haunt him until his death, and he was already surprised to have managed to fall asleep. He must have, what, a little fifteen hours of sleep on the last five nights? His gaze fell on the little girl, who, on the contrary, had spent more time sleeping than anything else. She wasn't in better shape anyway, if he trusted the tears that were running from her eyes at the moment.

Outside the sun was just beginning to rise. Knowing that he couldn't go back to sleep, not that he wanted anyway, Qrow got out of the airship, just to make one last tour of the place, Leo could only lend him the airship for a week, and the longer they stayed here, the harder it would be to leave, especially for the girl. His feet led him to Raven's grave, the upturned earth was still clearly visible where they had dug, and on the rock, Raven's emblem was engraved, just above her name. He would have put a little sentence that would sound like her, but he didn't know her enough for that anymore. Even her famous "The weak die, the strong live" seemed to no longer correspond to her, she had sacrificed herself to save an injured child after all.

He didn't know how long he had been there, staring blankly at the engraving in the stone, but since it was broad daylight when he regained consciousness, he must have spent at least two hours like that. It was a noise on his right that had woken him up, the girl got up and went back to rummage in Raven's trunk. Qrow walked to her and looked over her shoulder. There were clothes, weapons, some useful items like a bag or a lamp, jewelry…

__-Is that…?__

Qrow reached out, but the girl grabbed his hand tightly before he could touch anything. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, then she let go of him. With her silent authorization, he plunged his hand into Raven's personal belongings, and took out a necklace, a pendant made of a purple stone on a gold mount. Summer had offered her as a wedding gift, she had kept something from each of them, the necklace, the doll, and her wedding ring. She never forgot them, she never completely cut her bonds with them. It hurt to know.

The little girl suddenly leaned down, almost plunging into the trunk, and took out a golden comb decorated with flowers in precious stones of different colors, two little gold chains falling on each side. It was the kind of accessory that you put in a complicated bun for special occasions, not a simple object to untangle your hair. Still, Qrow was pretty sure that was exactly what it had been used for. Raven had always paid particular attention to her hair, it was the only coquetry that she allowed herself.

The girl put the comb in a pocket of her pants and stood up, like she said "I'm done". Qrow nodded and watched her walk past him without even looking at him. As she walked away, he took a last look at the contents of the trunk. He didn't want to take anything for himself, he felt he didn't deserve it, and the tear at the bottom of his cape was already a good reminder of his incompetence. He closed the trunk and climbed into the mini airship. He absolutely didn't know how to pilot such a machine, but the autopilot was very simple to program. After entering Haven's coordinates, he sat on a seat, and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. In front of him, the girl had seated her doll in its own place next to her, and stared sadly at the red scarf on her lap, playing almost unconsciously with a dagger she had picked up somewhere with her remaining hand, paying absolutely no attention to what was going on around her.

BIIIIIIP~…!

The sound of his Scroll almost made him jump. Everything had been so calm for a few days, a silence that hurt his head. Seeing the name on the screen, he swallowed and picked up.

-Hey Oz.

From the moment he had pronounced his name, he saw the girl raise her head and stare at him with a deadly look, red flames coming out on the sides of her eyes now of the same color. Qrow swallowed again, having a hard time believing he forgot this detail…

-Hello Qrow. Do I bother you ?

-No, no… I'm on the way back.

-I see. Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to know when do you plan to return to Vale. I don't want to rush you, I just want you to keep in touch. For once.

-Yeah, uh…

The little girl was still staring at him.

-I don't know yet…

-I understand. Let me know when you have decided, I would like to have the details, in case __she__ is involved.

Qrow's fist tensed, and his voice suddenly became much deeper.

-She is.

-Are you sure?

-Yes, the ki-…

He stopped just in time.

-… the kind of Grimm which passed by there is far too varied to be a normal attack. As far as I know, there aren't many Deathstalker in Anima.

There was a silence, Ozpin seemed to be thinking on the other end of the line. Qrow, on the other hand, was more uneasy than ever. He couldn't believe he was hiding something from Oz, especially something about a Maiden who had been missing for so long, a Maiden he was supposed to be looking for. However, that was what he was doing, he was lying to Ozpin. And he didn't even regret it, not when he saw the little girl's shoulders relax when she realized that he was not going to talk about her. Before being a Maiden, she was first and foremost his niece, Raven's daughter, a child who asked for nothing.

-I see ... I will tell Leo to send a trusted team to investigate. And you need to rest, if I trust your voice.

-…

-How many?

-About fifteen hours in five nights…

-Qrow…

-I know, I know, it's just... too recent.

-I know well. But still pay attention to your health.

Qrow let out a tired little laugh. His own health was the very last thing on his mind right now. He and Ozpin talked a little more, he felt that the old man was just trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated being able to speak with someone who didn't just answer him with jaded looks. Speaking of looks, the little girl continued to stare at him, but the anger had been replaced by curiosity, her eyes had returned to their normal color, and the flames had gone out. And when Oz finally hung up, she lost interest in him and began to untangle her doll's hair with the golden comb. Still sitting in front of her, Qrow watched her do so.

For the first time in days, the silence didn't bother him, on the contrary, it was restful, calm. His eyes rested on his niece, sitting cross-legged in her seat, her doll between her legs to keep it straight, while the comb passed through its hair, apparently already untangled. Without the bandages on her stump, she looked like any ordinary little girl, who played to pass the time, without worrying about the problems that surrounded her. He remembered seeing Raven do that too at first, before the doll disappeared from traffic and he never heard about it again. Raven had wanted such a doll so badly…

__-"____A pretty doll with blond curls and lilac eyes, a small nose and cheeks all pink ____. "__

The little girl looked up, raising an eyebrow, and only then Qrow realized he had spoken out loud. He coughed a bit and scratched the back of his head, laughing stupidly. Awkward moments were back…

-That's… That's what your mother said when she was young, and when she looked at the windows of toy stores…

He expected the girl to shrug and ignore him, but instead she put the comb next to her and held her doll against her chest, turned towards him, as if to listen to a story . He had her full attention… So he sighed, and for her he immersed himself in the vague memories of a childhood he had always tried to forget.

-Alright… When we were kids, we lived on the street, I couldn't tell you when our parents left, but it was soon enough that neither of us could remember. We had to work hard to survive, mainly by stealing on market stalls. We didn't have much of our own, so obviously, we wanted everything. And your mother wanted a doll. I never understood where she took that from, but she had a very precise idea of what she wanted, "a pretty doll with blond curls and lilac eyes, a small nose and cheeks all pink". Sounds familiar?

The little girl nodded slightly, without taking her eyes from his. He didn't know what Raven had told her about him or their past, but she was still paying attention, and he felt it was good to talk to her about all of this.

-After being found by the tribe, we never lacked anything. I'm not going to make you a drawing, you know how it works. In short, when we were old enough, almost, we participated in our first raid, we were a bit lost with all the agitation but we didn't care, we could have everything we always wanted. And at the corner of a street, I saw a little girl of our age who was trying to hide. She had a doll in her arms, exactly the one my sister wanted. I tried to snatch it from her hands. She didn't want to let go. I had a knife…

If at the time he didn't care, today, having killed a child to steal her toy almost gave him nausea. It wasn't the first time that he killed, and it was a time he would have done anything to Raven's smile. And now that she was gone and he saw what his gesture had meant to her, he didn't even regret it.

-I will never forget the face she made when I gave her that doll. She took it in her hands as if it was glass, and she hugged it, crying all the way back. … After a few weeks, I never saw this doll again, it's been a long time since we were in the tribe, we were trying to integrate, we became like them. I thought she no longer cared about a child's toy… Seems I was wrong.

A small traitor tear fell from his eye at the end of his story. He got up and opened the window behind him to get some air, it was almost noon and the sun was beating hard despite the season, and even if the atmosphere was less tense than before, bring back the past like that made him feel like he was in an oven. They still had a bit of road before reaching Mistral, and-…

-Yang.

Qrow slowly turned around. She was not looking at him, and had started to comb her doll again, exactly as before. He thought for a moment that he had dreamed, until she stopped and looked up at him.

-My name is Yang, not "kiddo".

And she returned to her occupation. Qrow froze for a moment, then, for the first time in what seemed like forever, a real smile appeared on his face.

-Mine's Qrow, before you call me "old man" or something.

She shrugged without giving him a look, but that didn't bother him. It was a step in the right direction. Arms folded on the windowsill, Qrow let his gaze get lost on the horizon, between the forest and the autumn sky. A little laugh escaped him.

__-Yang huh? Seriously Raven…__

* * *

****That's it for this chapter 7.****

****If Raven's death chap is the one I'm most proud of, I still think I did a good job for that one. I love writing the relationship between Qrow and his new niece, especially the fact that they don't know each other at all but understand each other in a certain way thanks to their bond with Raven.****

****And to clarify things, Qrow is currently the only person to know that Raven has a daughter since the madwoman died without having transmitted the info to Salem.****

****Also, for the color of the flames in the eyes of the Maidens, since until then all the Maidens had the eyes of the same color as the flames, I went to "the flames are the color of the eyes", and since Yang's eyes change color, it was cool … but after I learned that the flames were the color of Aura ... So I tell you right now, I don't give a damn, here the flames are the same colors as the eyes, na.****

****And also, concerning Yang's powers, dare tell me she's not going to inherit them in the anime, seriously … ****

****Well, it was the little info on the chap, and I'll see you at the last chap next week, bye!****


	8. Chap 8 : Time to go

.

\- "… Then one day, you arrived. I heard your angel cry… Helpless, small, and perfect, welcome to your life… "

The front door opened, cutting Yang in her song. She didn't know it further anyway, she only heard it once, half asleep. That night…

Qrow put two plastic bags on the bed and motioned for her to come and see. Arriving at Mistral, they took a small apartment funded by Ozpin, just to have a bed each and not sleep with the same decor as that in which Raven died. It would be hurting themselves for nothing.

-There you go, I think it's your size.

Yang took a brown T-shirt and black pants from the bag, and held them against her to gauge the size. With everything that happened, she and Qrow spent over a week before realizing that she had no other clothes than the ones she was wearing when she arrived, that is to say a jacket with a sleeve torn off and covered with blood.

-So ?

Yang nodded and took her new clothes with her to the bathroom. She also had the feeling that she forgot to wash in the past few days …

* * *

Qrow watched Yang leave without a word. She was apparently not very talkative, but at least she was talking to him. Barely more than a week after a traumatic experience, it was a very good start, and from the outside, she seemed to recover quite quickly, she was eating properly and didn't wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. Of course, he knew things were much more complicated psychologically, but he couldn't do much for the moment, he wasn't an expert. In fact, he was already very grateful that this was not her first experience of death. When a child like Ruby would never have been able to see a drop of blood again and would have spent whole days screaming and crying to get her mom back, Yang quickly accepted that her mother would not return and that she had to continue living despite everything. It was always very hard to live, but it was bearable for her, she forced herself to go forward, not to lament all day, to eat even if she didn't want to. The tribe's survival instinct could be good.

But how long was he going to be able to stay with her? He couldn't take her with him on his missions for Ozpin, even though she knew about Salem. He could obviously leave her with Tai and Summer, it was the most logical and the safest for her, but she might not feel in her place. His teammates were nice, yes, too nice. Yang might be ten years old, but she had the mentality of an adult and was used to be treated so, while still being mentally fragile because of the recent events. Finding the right balance without having personally experienced life in the tribe could be complicated. And then, she didn't look very excited when he told her about Tai…

But what else could he do? Someone had to take care of her, if only to help her with her arm. Although this point didn't seem to bother her though, as if she had always had only one arm. Losing her family so violently must have hurt her much more, and then Raven must have taught her to adapt to all situations. "As long as you're alive, keep fighting," or something like that. Hard to believe that a missing arm wasn't a priority but…

Qrow pulled out his Scroll and scrolled through his long list of contacts, hoping that one of them could help him unblock the situation in any way. Some names made him laugh considering his problem, imagining Glynda's stunned look of in front of Raven's daughter was very entertaining. Oh ! Peter and Barty's reactions would also be amazing! But thinking about it, if it hadn't been for all this panic, Qrow himself would certainly have been the worst of them… Raven mom, it sounds like a joke…

His eyes fell on the name "Jimmy". James had only been in Ozpin's circle for a few weeks, and he was a soldier to the nails, but since the little girl was a Maiden, he would do anything for her. She could live in Atlas, on her own, go to any school, and have access to the appropriate facilities to learn to control her powers. Maybe he could even provide her with a prosthesis? Stupid question, the Maidens were the main barrier to prevent Salem from getting hold of the Relics and destroying Remnant, obviously he would provide her with a prosthesis, especially if Oz asked him. And at least he was sure no one there would treat her like a child, it was the army after all.

It was a good plan, if only he was not a hundred percent sure that Tai would never accept his daughter living in a military base, even if he had never met her before… Just hoping that Ozpin could be convincing, because it was the only correct idea he had so far…

-Hey Qrow?

Qrow almost jumped when he heard the kid. He didn't noticed that she was out of the shower, she was awfully quiet…

-Yeah what?

Yang said nothing and handed him the comb. Qrow felt a drop of sweat bead on the side of his forehead as he understood what she was asking him. Even when wet, he had no idea how to get a comb through _that_ , and obviously she didn't either. However, he did not complain, and motioned for her to sit in front of him on the bed. She did, and after a deep breath, he tried to comb the yellow mess he was facing.

His hand did not go lower than a few centimeters before being completely blocked.

-How did you do so far…?

-Mother used to do it for me all the time.

-You never untangled your hair yourself?

-I tried but I can't do it anymore since they passed my shoulders. I must have been four years old. And… Mother loved to do it to me…

Qrow looked at the comb that stood alone between the curls with a hint of despair. How could Raven like to comb through this? How could she even just put a comb through it?

-I'm not sensible with my hair, you know.

-Fortunately…

Because he was going to do it… He was going to spend hours there and struggling as much as killing a herd of Goliaths with a spoon, but he was going to do it…

With a sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and tried to pass the comb again. His eyebrow twitched. He would never make it like that, there were too many knots in the same place, and the thickness of the loops meant that the teeth of the comb could not even cross everything… Let's think, he had already seen Raven untangled her hair right? How was she doing again…?

Qrow's face lit up. He had _not_ forgotten that! … But he was starting to wonder about his selective memory…

Momentarily placing the comb next to him, he separated a wick from the rest. This step was already a challenge because of the absurd amount of knots, but he ended up isolating a wick of hair from the rest of the hair. He then took the comb, and began to untangle the bottom about ten centimeters, then a few centimeters above, then a little more.

In the end, it took him three and a half hours, but he had succeeded. The mass of blonde hair, almost dry now, looked much less wild and intimidating like that. Yang stood up and thanked him with a small nod, before going to her own bed. Qrow watched her for a moment. It was so disturbing, she was so similar to Raven and at the same time so different, she had the same long curly hair, but the opposite color, she spoke very little, but without this coldness in her voice, she had this maturity and this seriousness in her gaze and in her movements, but sometimes she acted like a small child, and looked as fragile as glass… Like at this moment, while she braided the hair of her doll and tied her hat, not without difficulty because of her missing arm. At the same time, she didn't have much else to do.

-Hey, what did you do in your free time?

Yang opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, her fingers stopped moving, and she looked away. She seemed to hesitate a few moments, then resumed her activity as if nothing had happened. Strange…

-I trained, or I helped Mother manage the tribe and prepare the raids.

Qrow blinked a few times before understanding what he had just heard. Manage the tribe? Prepare the raids? At ten? What was Raven thinking? It was barely the age to-…

-Since when do you _participate_ in raids?

-Since I was eight years old.

Eight years… Raven had sent her daughter on a raid at the _age of __eight_…

Qrow sighed and dropped his face into his hand. No, Tai and Summer would never understand Yang…

* * *

Two weeks. It's been two weeks since that night. The raindrops banged against the glass at an irregular rate, and the wind whistled through the slight opening of the window. Yang was looking outside, sitting on her bed. Qrow went out to get food, but with the weather, he would take a little longer than expected to return. In the meantime, she was bored, her doll's hair was more untangled than ever, she had already read the few books that her uncle bought her to pass the time, and there was not much else to do in a rental apartment. There was still TV, but she didn't see the point of it…

Her gaze then fell on the only other object in the room. Raven's weapon. None of them had the heart to part with it, and Qrow agreed to let her keep it. It was her mother's weapon, and she had none other than her dagger, so it was logical that it should belong to her… except that it was a right-handed weapon, and she no longer had right hand. For the moment, having one less arm didn't bother her that much, she had grown up in an environment that required adapting to survive, if she missed one arm, then she would compensate with the other , it was that simple, especially since she was ambidextrous in combat. But not being able to use the weapon her mother left her gave her a bitter aftertaste… No, she mustn't say things like "if I still had my arm", she lost it, it was done, no going back. That was what she had been taught. Survive whatever happens.

Yang stood up and walked over to the weapon against the wall. If she only had her left arm, then she would use her left arm. Tying the scabbard to her right hip was not an easy task, but she managed after a lot of effort. Her hand landed on the handle, and there came the problem, the mechanism was suitable for a right hand, and using the left hand was very uncomfortable, she even felt that her fingers were too short to reach certain buttons, which she should be able to do with the other hand. Too bad, she would manage.

Pressing the main trigger, a slight click sounds, followed by the sound of the blade slowly pulled from its sheath. Yang looked at the sword in her hand, covered with a blade of Wind Dust. She remembered when she was young and that, when planted in the ground, the handle was so high for her that she couldn't even touch it. She was only three years old when she held a sword for the first time. She must have looked ridiculous now that she thought about it… Yet her mother always encouraged her, she explained step by step how to do it, did not scold her when she made a mistake, and repeated that she was proud from her. And Yang had always done her best to deserve this pride, she had trained until exhaustion countless times. She wanted to be able to defend herself, she didn't want to be a burden for the tribe, she wanted her mother to be proud of her, she wanted to look like that person she admired so much, she wanted to be worthy of to be the daughter of someone so amazing, and more than anything, she wanted to see her smile. And that determination had only grown over time.

It was not an ill-suited handle that was going to stop her!

Yang took a deep breath and got into position. She didn't train for two weeks, she had to recover. She then performed the first movements of her basic exercises, and a second problem presented to her. No matter how much she knew how to handle weapons with both hands… her call foot remained her right foot. The foot crashed hard on the ground.

-Dammit!

No matter how hard she tried, having a dominant foot opposite the hand with which she held the sword without having the second to balance caused her a very disabling imbalance. Her eyebrow twitched several times as she continued her series of movements, slowly enough to force herself to put her left foot forward rather than the right… She couldn't fight like that. Correct positioning must come naturally, forcing it required too much concentration. It would take a long time for this problem to be solve, but she was in no rush, and Raven had taught her to be patient. Fortunately.

The sword swayed slowly from place to place, the light from the bulb reflecting off the blade. Each movement was precise, calculated to the millimeter, repeated a thousand times, day or night, rain or shine. Yang had always been much better in hand-to-hand combat, her Semblance went in this direction, so she had redoubled her efforts to become a swordswoman at the height of her mother. She wanted to be like her, make her happy, make her proud…

_-Tell me Yang, is it just an impression or… Everything you do has something to do with your mother? _

Yang froze in her movement. Why did Ren's question came back to her now? It wasn't even true, everything she did wasn't related to Raven, she had things for herself, like… like…

* * *

_The wind was starting to blow hard, it was the beginning of winter. In the ten centimeters of snow from the backyard, a little girl with blond hair struggled to lift a sword obviously too heavy for her little arms. She then dragged it behind her for a short distance, before starting to turn on herself, the weapon still at arm's length. With the momentum, the sword took off from the ground for half a turn, before slipping from her hands. The little girl fell flat on her stomach in the snow. Her feet lifted for a moment, before falling back with a nervous growl._

_A soft, melodious laugh resounded in the isolated corner of the camp, and the little girl looked up quickly before running towards the new arrival, leaving small footprints in the snow behind her._

_-Mommy!_

_Raven knelt down to catch her daughter who jumped on her, hugging her with her tiny arms. The little blonde quickly detached and then began to bounce, leaning on her mother's lap, a radiant smile on her lips._

_-Hey mommy, did you see that? I train to be super strong with a sword like you!_

_Another laugh escaped Raven's lips, and her hand landed on Yang's head to ruffle her hair. She still had child's hair, so soft to the touch._

_-I see that, but are you sure you want to use a sword? There are lots of other types of weapons you know._

_Yang shook her head forcefully and clenched her fists in front of her, pouting._

_-No, I want to do everything just like you mommy!_

_Raven's smile sagged slightly, so that Yang did not see it._

_\- "Everything just like me" eh? I don't know if it's the best path to take…_

_Yang tilted her head on the side with a confused look. Raven then stood up and walked over to a crate where several weapons were stored._

_\- ... But if that's really what you want._

_Then she pulled out a tanto and motioned for Yang to come closer, before putting it in her hands. She then crouched down behind her and positioned her correctly._

_That was their very first training together._

* * *

Yang slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in bed, it was still raining outside, and she could hear the sound of the shower. A plate with what should be an unidentifiable microwave dish was placed on the bedside table next to her. She must have passed out at one point or another.

Her fist clenched on the blanket. She was tired of being weak.

* * *

Three weeks. For the first time in three weeks, Yang went out for a walk. She was tired of being locked up all day, even if she spent the most of this time training, she was made to live outdoors. Qrow had seemed pleased with her decision, and even gave her some money so she could buy something if she wanted to. All that reminded her of the journey of a few days that she had made with her mother after her first raid, the same journey where they had quarreled, but from which they came back even more united, and where she had also had the opportunity to make her first friends. Ren and Nora were still out and about in Anima, she could very well come across them at the corner of a street. Her gaze fell on her sleeve which hung in the wind. How could she explain this to them without telling them the whole truth, that she was a bandit and that she had killed innocent people of her own free will? Would they hate her? Would she lose them too?

-Eh! Look where you go brat!

Yang looked up at the man who just pushed her. He was a tall, bearded man dressed like a businessman. All the blonde knew about people like him was that they used to store their wallets in their inner left pocket. She couldn't help a little amused smirk at the thought.

-What is that insolent air, your parents didn't tell you to apologize when you hurt an adult?

Yang raised an eyebrow. "Hurt"? She almost wanted to laugh about it. She simply bypassed him rather than setting off a scene, but he grabbed her arm to hold her back…

-Wait a second young girl! Who allows you to ignore-…

… Or rather the sleeve in which her arm should have been. The man froze. A ten-year-old child with a missing arm was not very common, and for someone unfamiliar with the world of Huntsmen, it should be even worse. Poor guy, what would he say if he knew what she had seen, what she had done?

As the man still looked at her, a mixture of fear and disgust on his face, the provocative side of Yang took over, and she turned completely towards him, showing her most beautiful fake smile of innocent little girl, her eyes brilliant bright red straight out of hell.

-It would be very bad for you if I started to cry right now, in front of everyone.

She was a child, an adorable little blonde visibly disabled, held by a man in the middle of the street. Yang knew how to cry on command, and if she did, no doubt people wouldn't even wonder what had happened.

This time, the man let go of her and stepped back, frightened, and Yang walked away without paying any more attention. It had been a long time since she had fun scaring someone. The last time was when she smashed a bottle against a tree before pinning the tips against Antonin's neck so he would leave her alone. To have tried harder two days later, she had to admit that he had a certain courage.

Her feet carried her across the streets, not quite knowing where to take her. Unlike the time she met Ren and Nora, she had been careful where she was going so that she could return without too much trouble, she had no way of contacting Qrow if she got lost, and she still hadn't tried to fly. He had mentioned the idea of buying her a Scroll, but she didn't really see the point of it, she never needed one in the tribe, she always knew who was where and always went to speak directly to the people when she had something to tell them.

Her foot kicked a stone, which bounced off a pole and came back to her head. With her Aura it didn't hurt, but it was enough to annoy her. She then took a deep breath to calm down. It was just a stone and it happened to everyone to be unlucky. She must remain unperturbed, not appear weak, she must be strong, she mustn't lament for such small things.

_-The weak die, the strong live._

Yang looked around. People were walking quietly in the street, children were hanging from their parents' hands, elderly were being helped to carry their groceries. While Raven was dead. Her fist clenched, it was only a lie, otherwise it would be her who would have died that night, because she had been too weak to defend her tribe against the Grimm, too weak to defend her mother against this woman, too weak to save her own life by herself. So Raven had to do it for her. She paid the price for her weakness in her place.

Yang's feet brought her back to the apartment. With one arm missing and an unsuitable weapon, she was even weaker than she was that night. She still needed to train.

* * *

If he could it in this form, Qrow would have sighed. No doubt, it was Raven's daughter, this poor man would long remember this meeting…

With a wingbeat, Qrow continued to follow his niece. She may have seemed better, but he couldn't help but worry. Yes she could defend herself, yes she knew how not to attract attention, yes she knew how to come back alone, but with her temperament a little too similar her mother's, he preferred to be careful. So he followed her flying. She must have known that Raven could turn into a bird, but did she know about him? In case she did, he stayed high or hidden, she might not appreciate him watching over her like that.

Finally, she returned to the apartment only an hour after leaving, frowning. Nothing had happened, except her little confrontation with the businessman, but she had grown up in the forest, maybe she just couldn't stand the city well. Ah no, she was going to get her weapon to train outside… For about a week, she had decided to learn how to wield Raven's sword with her left hand, despite the right-handed handle. Using her mother's weapon was for her a way of hanging onto the past, even unconsciously, a way of always having her mother with her, protecting her. Yang may have _seemed _to recover quickly, but some wounds would take a very long time to heal… It had been only three weeks ago after all.

Besides, since Ozpin's last call, Qrow hadn't communicated with anyone. They left him space and he was grateful, even if he spent this time looking after Yang, she needed more attention than he did, and he promised Raven to take care of her. For now everything was going well. Too well. And with its Semblance, long periods without problems never announced anything good. He knew where the problem was hidden. A few times during meals, he had mentioned going to Vale or Patch, and each time he had seen her eyes blink red before she changed the subject. He also remembered her disgusted look when he asked her if she knew Tai, or the deadly look she gave him when he was talking with Ozpin. She clearly did not want to meet them, and the option of entrusting her to James seemed increasingly relevant. In fact, it was the _only_ relevant option he had in mind at the moment. He would talk to her about it tonight, for now she was training, and he needed a drink…

* * *

Summer was worried. It had been three weeks since they heard from Qrow, three weeks since Ozpin announced Raven's death, three weeks since Tai closed in on himself. She didn't know what to do.

Several times she asked Oz to tell her where Qrow was, so that she could be by his side and not leave him alone in a moment like this, you should never be alone when you were sad, you always needed your friends around in difficult times. However, the old man had refused, explaining that, on the contrary, he needed to be given space. If she understood his reasoning, she did not agree, but what really shocked her was his categorical refusal, almost a ban on getting involved ...

Ozpin had never refused her anything, which gave her the reputation of being the headmaster's favorite when she was in Beacon. This wasn't true of course, for proof, her team had taken more detention than anyone, and had to do extra training missions all the time! It was almost slavery! Although with all the mess they caused, they were lucky not to have been fired…

Their time at Beacon seemed so distant. At the time they were only a group of teenagers unable to get along, and today she was married to Tai, the man with whom she had been in love since their first year, they had an adorable little eight years old daughter, Qrow often visited them between two missions, and Raven…

Summer didn't know what to think about the death of her teammate. Obviously, she was sad, but she had only heard about her from Qrow once or twice in ten years, and if she was honest, she had been too busy raising her daughter and helping Tai to recover from his wife's sudden departure to really care. Summer was so angry against her for leaving. Raven had everything her teammate had always wanted and she just threw everything out the window, she was the cool and mature girl of the school, she did everything perfectly, she had a brother with whom she got along very well, and she had Tai, she was married to the most wonderful man in the world, she had a nice quiet life with him in a beautiful house in the forest, and some time before she left, they even talked about having their first child. Of course, with the missions multiplying at that time, they should have waited, but they were seriously considering it.

And then one day, when Tai and Summer returned from a mission together, all of Raven's belongings were gone. After some research, Qrow found her, back in her tribe, claiming that their team had been an "interesting experience" but that it was time to come back to reality, before blaming Ozpin. She had abandoned them all. Tai was falling apart, and Summer had tried to keep him together, she had been there for him after Raven left, and they ended up getting married, living together, and having this child he had wanted so badly. And Summer would be lying if she said she didn't feel proud that, for once, she had succeeded where Raven had failed.

She wanted her teammate to come back, she wanted her friend to fight by their side again, for them to become the team STRQ they had always been, but she also always had that fear deep inside herself, a fear she was ashamed of, she was afraid that Raven, by returning, would take back the place she left when leaving, a place that Summer had dreamed of silently for years, and that she had abandoned for a small group of killers.

But now that Raven was dead, Summer was torn between sadness and relief, and she felt really bad about it, she couldn't believe she was almost happy with the death of her friend, while her other teammates were wiped out. She was so ashamed…

-Mom! Cookies are burning!

Summer got up from the couch to save what she could from her last batch of cakes. Tai was so immersed in his work since that day that Ruby was starting to feel neglected, even if she didn't say anything about it, so her mother was taking good care of her.

As she served the plate of hot cookies on the table next to a large glass of milk, Summer wondered for a moment what kind of mother Raven could have been. She would never know…

* * *

-…

-What?

-… Nothing nothing …

-Eh, you're not allow to laugh, okay?

For her defense, Yang wasn't laughing, she looked disgusted. After three weeks of eating only frozen or take-out food, Qrow decided to cook by himself. But it seems that all the talent he had in combat has taken the place of his talent in cooking… He thought he could at least make pasta…

Qrow looked down at his own plate, a sort of half-burnt beige porridge held together with the shape of the bottom of the pan. He may have turned the thermostat a little too hard… and too long…

-Okay, I'm ordering a pizza… Have you ever eaten pizza?

-Sometimes.

-Cool.

Once the order was placed, the room fell silent, with the exception of the radio, which reported on local weather. It was always less awkward than a clock ticking.

-Hey…

Yang stopped turning her knife in her hand and looked up at her uncle. Qrow turned off the radio and took a deep breath before speaking. He was about to deliberately enter a minefield…

-You know we won't stay here forever?

She nodded.

-You also know I work for Ozpin.

This was not a question, but she nodded anyway, frowning. Qrow was really thankful that she was mature enough to listen to him despite a subject that easily got her angry. Would she have been like that while growing up with Tai? No chance…

-Now I am entitled to some vacation time to… recover. But after, I will have to go back to my basic missions, investigate Salem, try to discover her plans, find her supporters, … and search the Spring Maiden.

Hearing it, Yang stood up abruptly and put her hand on the handle of Raven's sword, which she wore at her waist, ready to defend herself if he tried to take her away by force. Despite the time they had spent together so far, the girl still didn't fully trust him about Ozpin. Raven must have painted the image of one of the old man's most fervent supporters, and unlike him, she seemed to know why her mother hated the old man so much… and to have inherited this hatred towards him.

Qrow sighed and raised his hands to show that he had no intention of forcing her.

-Calm down, I understand that you don't like him, but I will be obliged to tell him-…

-I won't be one of his pawns!

Her eyes had turned red, and it was somehow even more frightening than the flames. He knew what a Maiden's powers could do, but he had no idea what her Semblance could do.

Qrow waved his hands still raised slightly to make her understand that he would do nothing for the moment, that he only wanted to talk.

-Listen, I haven't told anyone about you yet and I won't without your permission, so calm down and listen to what I have to say before getting mad, can you do that?

-…

-I won't tell anyone without your permission. You have my word.

Yang stared at him for a few more seconds, and after a moment, she sat down slowly, remaining ready to move again if necessary. Her eyes back to purple, she leaned back in her chair, carrying her arm under her chest, as if her arms were crossed, surely trying to look intimidating. Qrow allowed himself to lower his hands, sighing.

-Good… I know you don't like him…

-…

-… okay, you hate him. But. I can't just let you wander alone in nature.

-I-…

-You could manage on your own, I know, I was raised by the tribe too. But you are a Maiden. You risk having Salem chasing you, she knew that the Spring Maiden was in the tribe, and now that theoretically no one remains, if she finds someone who looks so similar to Raven , she will understand right away.

Yang momentarily looked down. He was right and she knew it.

-So, that's the only idea I have for now, even if it's not ideal. Since you have to go somewhere where you can be protected from _her_ , but you don't want to see either Ozpin or your father…

Yang's fist clenched, and he knew she was holding back from getting upset again. If she blamed them as much for Raven's death as Qrow blamed himself, it was already amazing that she made _the__effort_ to hold back.

-… I had the idea of taking you to Atlas. Jimmy has been in the group for a short time, but he is someone I trust enough for that, and as he leads the army, you will have all the equipment to learn how to use your powers. Without having to see Ozpin or Tai.

Yang looked at him as if he just told her that the moon wasn't broken. At the same time, going from "bandit in the Mistral forest" to "privileged in the Atlas army" must have sounded oddly in her head. Quits to live under the "protection" of an Academy Headmaster, Shade's one would have been more logical, Vacuo's tacit laws were actually quite close to what she known in the tribe. But, call him paranoid if you want, Qrow would feel more reassured about Salem by leaving the girl in a secure military center rather than in the midst of thieves and villains… even if it was exactly what she had grown in…

-Yeah, I know it's not the idea of the era. If you have a better option…

Did she even think about what she was going to do from now? Looks like no.

Qrow sighed. He promised Raven to take care of her daughter, but he could neither stay with her, nor take her with him, and she refused to approach the people he trusted most. Being a Maiden, entrusting her to one of the headmasters seemed to be the only valid option he had so far, but Ozpin was out of competition, and Leo had already lost the Spring Maiden once. And choose between leaving her in the middle of the desert or in a military center…

Qrow's heart tightened. She would be safer at Atlas, but she would be happier at Vacuo. And more than anything, she prefered not to go anywhere, not to be one of Ozpin's "pawns" as she said. It was quite strange, generally, the term "pawn" rather meant the supporters of Salem, because she used them as sacrificial objects. Oz was not like that, he cared about them, trusted them, he was like their grandfather. Raven too had thought like that once, then one day, she began to say the complete opposite, and she left, without telling them that she was pregnant.

…

… What had Ozpin done to her so that she would give up everything to keep her baby away from him…?

-Mother did everything so that Ozpin didn't learn of my existence…

-I know, but we don't have much choice if we want you to stay safe.

-… She did it to protect me. Safe ? With Ozpin? Do you even know what he did to her?

-No… But I would appreciate it if you'd tell me.

Yang opened her mouth, but stopped, and looked down. She still wasn't sure if she could trust him. In her eyes, he could still go and tell everything as soon as her back was turned.

It was going to be hard to gain her trust…

-It's not urgent this evening either. I leave you the week to think about it?

She nodded, and the pizza delivery boy arrived right there. The meal took place with the radio as the only sound, then Yang went to bed without a word, keeping her weapon with her, just in case.

* * *

Atlas. The Kingdom of advanced technology and high society of Remnant.

Yang had grown up in the Mistralian forest, and had never considered leaving it. Of course, now she had no choice, Qrow was right, if Salem learned of her existence she would be in great danger. In fact, she was already very grateful that he didn't force her to meet this bastard of Ozpin, or her father. She did not want to have anything to do with him, he was not from her family, her family was dead and he was not one of them, if someone asked, she was an orphan. She had made her choice two years ago, and she would not go back on it, even if she was alone, she was not _so_ desperate.

But she hadn't even thought about what she would do from now on. Until then, her future was set, she would grow up in the tribe as one of their best fighters, and one day would take up the torch from her mother as chief. Then everything collapsed, and with these powers, she was trapped in the never-ending war between Ozpin and Salem, a war her mother had tried to keep her away from before she was born.

Yang looked over her shoulder, Qrow slept with his back turned to her, his sword placed next to his bed. Then she looked down at Raven's sword, which she kept with her at all times, even at night. She was pretty much able to use it now, she could handle fights against low level Grimm, and she still had her Semblance. And she had her powers…

Without a sound, she went into the bathroom and locked the door. She had to get stronger, and she didn't need Ozpin's minions to train her.

_-Listen to me Yang, magic is not something you use, it's something you do, it's a part of you, it comes just as naturally to you as breathing._

As naturally as breathing. She could do it, she already lit a flame in her hand, she should be able to do it again. Yang reached over to the sink, and closed her eyes. She thought back to the stories her mother told her when she was a child, the ice figures dancing on the table, the light emanating from them, the precision of the sculptures, Raven's voice guiding them in their movements, her hand gently caressing her head, her long hair which sometimes fell over her shoulders, the smell of mint tea, the sweet smile she made for her…

Yang fell on her knees, tears running silently from her eyes. She didn't know what to do, she had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. What would she do to Atlas? Why should she learn to control her powers? Why did she continue to train? There was no longer a tribe to protect, no more future role to take on, no more mother to make proud… Qrow was with her but she didn't know how far she could trust him.

But if she didn't go to Atlas, what would she do? Where would she go? Would she settle in a small random village like the ones she once destroyed? Would Qrow put her in an orphanage? Would she roam the wild like Ren and Nora? They were two, she would be alone, she knew how to survive, but what would she do with this life? What could she do with it? She, a ten year old child without family, with one arm missing and a weapon that she could barely handle…

Maybe she should agree to go to Atlas and see how things go from there. But the idea of being one of Ozpin's pawns put her off. Her mother had given up on everything to avoid that. Especially since she would surely become a Huntress, the people who had killed so many members of her family during the raids. No, Atlas was out of question.

Except that she had nothing else left, and Qrow would never agree to leave her unprotected, he trusted Ozpin too much for that. He never believed Raven when she told him that the old man was a manipulative liar, he would surely not believe her…

Finally, Yang fell asleep in the bathroom, sitting against the wall, not seeing the ice sculpture that was starting to melt in the sink, representing a woman with long wild hair with a Nevermore mask on her face, brandishing a katana forward as if to guide her troops.

* * *

-Hey you're okay?

Yang only answered with a nod, gently spinning her spoon in her bowl of cereal, until the cutlery slipped her fingers and drowned in milk, making her groan. Qrow sighed and looked at his Scroll, people finally started talking about "the end of the strongest tribe of bandits in Anima". It had to be admitted that they had been holding on for decades, and would surely have lasted a long time if Salem didn't get involved. Many people should rejoice, be relieved that they no longer had to worry about being attacked by surprise, others should just say "these bandits only got what they deserved". They wouldn't be wrong, the bandits were outlaws, criminals. But contrary to what everyone thought, they were not bad people. And no one deserved to fall because of this witch.

-Qrow…

-Hmm?

-I don't want to go to Atlas.

…

-Did you think about it?

-Yes.

There was a pause, then Qrow sighed and put his closed scroll on the table.

-Fine.

For a moment, he could see astonishment in his niece's eyes, before she pretended to refocus on her breakfast, as if she was not disturbed by the ease with which he accepted her decision. She had apparently never eaten cereal, when Ruby finished an XL size box in less than a week. The two little girls really had nothing in common.

-Where do you want to go then?

The question seemed to catch her off guard, she obviously didn't expect him to be so accommodating. But he decided that she would pass before Ozpin. It was the least he could do to catch up with Raven, and now Qrow couldn't get out of his head that Oz had actually done something wrong that had forced her to leave. When she said after leaving that he was a manipulative bastard and other unflattering things, Qrow obviously did not believe her, he thought she was looking for excuses to flee the fight, he was too angry at her for trying to understand her, and he could count on the fingers of his hand the number of times they had spoken again after that, never very cordially.

But now that he had Yang in front of him, and after what she had said the other day, he was forced to accept that his sister knew something about Ozpin that they didn't, that he had done to her something serious enough that she wanted to keep her child away from him, and that she had decided that the wisest decision was to leave. He wouldn't say that Raven was right to hide her daughter, but there must have been a good reason for her to act as if the old man was as dangerous as Salem. Keeping the girl a secret was perhaps the best option, even if it was the one that reassured him the least.

-I dunno…

-I guessed so …

Silence returned, Yang finished her bowl and went to rinse it in the sink.

BIIIIIIP ~…!

Qrow reopened his Scroll and glanced at the person calling him. Summer. If he usually liked to listen to his teammate talking, now he absolutely did not want to, and he did not want to risk letting out an information on Yang, he promised not to talk about her without her permission . So with some remorse, he rejected the call. Reject a call from Summer. He never thought he would do that one day… It was crazy, he had known this kid for less than a month, and yet he was ready to do anything for her, he even lied to Ozpin. But it was normal, she was his niece, he was the only family she had for now, because he had been unable to save Raven… It was his fault if the girl was there now, so he would take care of her for as long as it was needed, no matter how much he had to suffer for that. Let's just hope he'd not regret it…

* * *

A month. It's been a month now. It was the end of November, the cold was starting to be felt. Winter was coming early to Mistral. Qrow sighed and took another sip. He wondered what people could say about him, a man in his thirties with a giant sword next to him and a half-empty bottle of strong alcohol in a hand, sitting on a bench in a park with a blond kid of ten years with a pro Huntsman weapon at the hip and one arm missing. If he were in front of a school, someone would surely have already called the police. Oh and fuck, who cared what people thought?

-You made up your mind?

Yang looked away. He had asked her a few times during the week, and each time she answered negatively, but now she simply did not answer…

-So ?

-I…

His gaze fell on the people passing. It was a weekday morning, there weren't many people, one or two old people who came to feed the birds, a few people who were enjoying a day off… Oh, a kindergarten class.

-I want to stay here. Well, not necessarily in Mistral, but… Fend for myself. I don't want to go to one of these Academies. And I _really_ don't want Ozpin to know that I exist. Tai neither.

Ouch. Qrow took another sip from his bottle. He knew she could do it and that was what would suit her best. But he was certainly not at peace with the idea of leaving her alone without any means of looking after her or coming to help her if she needed it. He promised Raven that he would be there for her, he didn't want to break that promise already.

-What if Salem finds you?

-She doesn't know I exist. Nobody knows. And no one will know.

-Except me.

-Mother told you, that's fine with me.

Raven, always Raven. Yang may survive no matter the circumstances, and she may be very mature for her age, but she was still a child who still needed her mother. He couldn't just leave her alone to roam Mistral…

-Where would you sleep?

-I'll find camping equipment.

Obviously…

-Do you plan to spend your time stealing food?

-I'll do jobs, I helped everywhere in the camp, I can do lots of things.

She had an answer for everything. Qrow opened his mouth to ask another question, but Yang cut him off, looking him straight in the eyes, her fist clenched on her thigh.

-Two years ago, I met two orphan children my age who lived very well like that, and they had no advanced training, no pro weapons, no Maiden powers, and they were not brought up in a bandit tribe. I can live by myself.

She wouldn't change her mind. Qrow sighed and finished his bottle. It was not the "survival" aspect that worried him, it was loneliness. If he followed his sister's logic, who apparently knew more than he did, the girl was safer in secret, and Oz couldn't contradict that kind of logic, but he couldn't just pretend she didn't exist. What would happen if Salem found her? She would have no one to help her and he would blame himself until the end of his days if something happened to her because he wasn't there when she needed…

Then he got an idea. He got up and motioned for the little girl to follow him. They walked in silence for about twenty minutes, until they reached a small electronics store. The bell above the door rang, and after a few seconds a man came out of the back room.

-Hello, what can I do for you?

-We need a Scroll for the kid.

Yang looked at her uncle surprisingly, but Qrow just shrugged and continued talking with the manager, until he offered him a simple model, without not too much space for many applications, but that would be enough. He paid and went out, and tapped something on the device before giving it to the little girl. She took it up, and saw the name "Qrow" as the only current contact.

-I won't force you to go anywhere kid, even less until I'm sure I know who I can trust, but I promised my sister to keep an eye on you, so if you have to frolic all alone around the world, I prefer to have a way to reach you.

She looks at him for a few moments, then the Scroll.

-Can I have Mother's number too?

Qrow blinked, then looked disappointed at his empty bottle. He then took out his own Scroll, and took the opportunity to show the girl how to make an additional contact. He knew it was bad for her to hold on to this kind of things, but he felt unable to refuse her anything knowing that he had been wrong for so long.

-Done.

-You… really let me stay?

-Not that it reassures me a lot… But I once decided to trust Oz over my own sister, and we both know how it ended… This time I will believe in her.

Yang's eyes widened and her gaze was lost in the void for a few moments, and Qrow wondered if he said something stupid without realizing it.

-Yang?

-You… are really not going to tell Ozpin about me?

-There must be a reason why your mother didn't do it. And I have known Summer enough to know that the maternal instinct is never wrong.

-Neither to Tai?

-Eh, I gave you my word, right? Besides, I promised Raven to watch over you, not to imprison you against your will. Especially if I'm not sure where you would be really safe…

There was a moment of flutter, and Qrow thought he saw a very slight smile on Yang's lips as she put the new Scroll in her jacket pocket. He was about to leave for the apartment, when he felt a small hand slip into his. Slowly, he turned, and his left hand dropped the empty bottle. For a moment, the world seemed to stop, he no longer heard the noise of the city around him, he did not hear the noise of the glass breaking on the ground.

Yang looked up, her eyes wet.

-Thank you Qrow…

* * *

_-Hey Raven!_

_Raven sighed when she saw her brother running towards her, smiling like an idiot. It was their first break on the return trip from the raid, and she wanted to rest enough not to be left behind._

_-What?_

_Qrow stopped in front of her, he had blood on him, while she managed to dodge all the drops. Looking at her you would never assume she killed an entire family with a simple knife._

_-Guess !_

_Raven frowned. She did not like when people were beating around the bush, it had the knack to annoy her._

_-Qrow… _

_-Okay okay… So close your eyes._

_She sighed again but did what he told. Qrow waited a few seconds and shook his hand in front of her eyes to make sure she wasn't cheating, then pulled something out of his bag. He looked at his find and rehabilitated it, and, with more pride and hope than he ever felt before, held out the toy right in front of his sister's face._

_-Tadaaaaa!_

_Raven opened her eyes with some annoyance, but her expression changed completely when she saw the doll in front of her. She took it gently, and sat it on her lap._

_-So? You wanted one like that, right?_

_She did not answer, her eyes fixed on the porcelain doll in her hands. She lowered her head, clutching the toy against her._

_-Rav-…_

_-Thank you._

_Raven looked up, a big smile on her lips and tears running from her eyes._

_-Thank you Qrow! You're the best brother in the world!_

* * *

_-She looks like you so much…_

Qrow let out a sigh, and walked to the apartment, Yang's hand still in his. Maybe he was not doing so bad after all.

* * *

-You've everything, you're sure?

-For the tenth time Qrow, yes!

-Okay, okay.

Yang sighed and finished filling her bag. Qrow had bought her warm clothes for the coming winter, some basic supplies, and even left her money so that she could manage for a while, including taking hostel rooms during the winter. She still didn't understand why he was trying so hard for her, but she appreciated that. He might not realize it, but sometimes he sounded like Raven, or acted like her. It was disturbing, and at the same time reassuring, it left her a point of reference.

She liked Qrow, he did not treat her like a kid or a handicapped person, he did not comment on her manners, he left her space when she needed it… He was a bit clumsy sometimes, but it wasn't that bad, nor was its negative level in cooking. And the way he looked at her when she thanked him… She didn't know what he saw at the time, but she felt it was something important, a mixture of shock, sadness, nostalgia, and also a little joy… She would never approach Ozpin or Tai, but she was willing to give Qrow a chance, after all, he had decided to trust Raven over Ozpin, and Raven trusted him too. If Raven trusted him,Yang would try to trust him.

The two Branwens left the building and walked silently through the streets. Qrow had to return to Vale, if only to let them know that he was still alive after almost a month without news, so Yang accompanied him to the airship. She wasn't sure what she would do next, or why she would do it, but her survival instinct kept her from being shot down.

When they got to the airfield, the next departure for Vale was in twenty-five minutes, so in the meantime they sat on a bench outside, a can of soda for one, a can of beer for the other. It was getting cold, the wind was blowing hard enough to make hats fly away, Yang's empty sleeve had been tied in a knot to avoid embarrassing her, next to her, a dark red backpack contained all of her personal effects, mainly clothing, hygiene supplies, a very compact sleeping bag, and her doll. She wouldn't part with it for anything.

-So, really sure you don't want to come with me?

-Sure.

-Okay…

Qrow lowered half of his can at once, before collapsing on the back of the bench. Yang had nothing against alcoholics, she had known enough of them to be used to it, but she wondered if he had always been like that or if it was due to recent events. She didn't know him very much yet, she had just managed to define him as he was now, she knew that he hardly slept, drank a lot, sincerely regretted having made Raven suffer, was clever enough to understand that Ozpin was not to be trusted, and valued his responsibilities to his family more than to the old wizard. … And say that he was the worst cook in the world would be an understatement. Who can miss a microwave dish? Anyway, for Yang it was enough. The family came before everything else, that was what she learned in the tribe.

-We'll meet again?

-Of course, I'm not going to let you go like that, and someone needs to make sure that you don't do too much bullshit in your corner.

Yang nodded and took a sip from her own can. So much had happened in just one month. Only a few weeks ago, she lived in the camp, surrounded by people she had always known, preparing one of their usual raids, under the supervision of her mother. They hadn't seen each other that day, but she remembered that Raven put her to bed singing a lullaby to her. The last moment they shared together before everything turned upside down. And now she was there, in Mistral, with an uncle she had never met before, Maiden's powers, one arm missing, and a porcelain doll, with nowhere to go. Her whole life had been swept away with the back of the hand by a single Salem's minion, and from the most dangerous tribe of bandits of Anima, there only remained her, a ten-year-old girl.

-Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything.

-I can manage on my own.

-So if you just want to chat.

Yang nodded, and her empty can missed the nearest trash by a few inches. Weird, she usually aimed better… She got up and walked next to Qrow in the departure hall. Despite what she could say, she didn't want him to leave, she wanted to stay with him, she wanted a reassuring presence, a presence similar to Raven's. She didn't want to be alone, but she wanted even less to meet Tai or Ozpin, she didn't want to be one of his pawns, not when her mother had suffered so much to avoid her that, not when she had the choice.

-Well… Time to say goodbye.

Qrow hesitated a bit, then held out his hand and put it on Yang's head. She started slightly, no one was usually allowed to touch her hair except her mother, even Vernal and Ramy was fired for that. However, coming from Qrow it didn't bother her, she even let him untangle her hair, she wasn't sure why. Qrow's hand moved a little, not enough to mess it up, just enough to make her feel it. A shiver ran through her, then she relaxed. It was so similar to Raven's touch, the same softness, the same warmth, just a little more clumsy.

-Take care of you kiddo.

-I told you that my name was Yang…

He let out a laugh, and she groaned in response.

The airship for Vale flied off about ten minutes later, and Yang watched it slowly fly away. She wondered for a moment why he hadn't been there flying himself, then shrugged and turned around. The whole town of Mistral was visible from the point where she was, at the top of the mountain. It was the startline of her journey.

* * *

**Hello everyone !**

**This is the end of Part I, **_**The Four Seasons of Childhood**_**. It was a great adventure, full of cute and sad moments, but childhood is over, and now is the time to grow… **

**And no, Yang still does not meet the rest of her family, sorry for those who were impatiently waiting for it, but you will still have to wait. After all, when Yang decided to stay with Raven in the tribe, she made a final choice, with no going back, she doesn't consider Tai & co as her family, even if he has no one else.**

**And for Qrow, yes, he hides from Ozpin that he knows who the Spring Maiden is, and yes, he hides from Tai that he has another daughter. I know it can be weird coming from him, but don't forget that now, he knows that his sister left everything to keep Yang secret and that she died to save her, and his guilt plays a lot in his decisions. And as in addition he starts to have suspicions about Ozpin… **

**I had originally planned to make two versions of this chap, this one, where Yang stays on her side, and another where she would have accepted the idea of going to Atlas, because seriously, you really think that **_**this**_**Yang will be able to adapt to "normal" life if I just put her in? Between her education and the trauma, I doubt about it.**

**And there's always this bastard manipulator of Ozpin, Yang knows why Raven left so obviously she doesn't want to approach him.**

**Anyway, as I said earlier, this is the end of Part I. We'll see you for the prologue to Part II next week, and you can expect for more action.**

**Goodbye and thank you for your support!**


	9. Announcement : Part II online

**Part II prologue available!**

**Part II is online, in a separate story. **_**Four Seasons of Childhood **_**is over, place to **_**Learn to Grow**_**. I will post this part in a different story, because the summary and the important characters will no longer be the same, no more Raven but new characters that I will add only when they arrive in the story so you won't be spoiled n_n**

**I cannot tell you how many chapters there will be this time, but I think it will easily exceed ten, given how it started (chap 3 Yang is still eleven, help …).**

**Considering the speed at which I write, you may often have shorter bonus chapters to save me time, but I'll do my best to make it worth it!**

**A big thank you to everyone for all your support so far, the reviews always gave me the motivation to do better, I hope you'll enjoy Part II, having limited time for writing is a real challenge for me, but I promise to do my best!**

**With that, we see ourselves again in the prologue of **_**Yang Branwen Part II: Learn to Grow**_**.**


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